Four more California tech companies are cutting nearly 1,700 combined jobs, the latest in a relentless wave of downsizing. All four companies had previously laid off employees in the past 13 months, underscoring the extent of the industry’s pain.
Google laid off up to 20 data scientists in its voice assistant division, Insider reported. It was the third round of cuts at the tech giant since September, with layoffs previously hitting the Google News and recruiting teams. Last month, parent company Alphabet’s Waymo division also had its third round of layoffs this year.
In a September state filing related to its recruiting team cuts, Google said 75 workers will be laid off at offices in San Francisco between Oct. 27 and Nov. 25. The company separately announced 12,000 layoffs in January.
Redwood City-based Informatica, a cloud data company, said Wednesday that it would cut 10 percent of its workforce, or around 545 positions. The plan will result in $70 million in savings in 2024 and between $35 million and $45 million in one-time expenses. Informatica will lay off 90 workers at its headquarters in Redwood City by Dec. 31, according to a state filing.
The company previously cut 450 jobs, or 7 percent of its workforce, in January. Informatica reported third-quarter revenue of $408.6 million, up 10 percent from the prior year and beating analysts’ expectations. Net income was $79.2 million, up from a loss of $15.6 million during the same period.
San Francisco-based e-commerce marketplace Faire will lay off around 250 workers, Insider reported. The cuts affect around 20 percent of the company, according to a post on Blind, a forum for tech workers. Faire previously laid off around 7 percent of its staff in October 2022. The company was valued at $12.5 billion last year and raised $416 million.
Carlsbad-based Viasat said it was laying off 800 workers or 10 percent of its workforce. The satellite communications company in San Diego County said it is streamlining operations after buying competitor Inmarsat in May. Viasat also laid off around 300 workers or 4 percent of its workforce in April. Viasat expects $45 million in one-time charges and annual cost savings of roughly $100 million starting in fiscal year 2025.
It was reported Wednesday that San Francisco-based Splunk would lay off 7 percent, or 537, of its workers as tech giant Cisco moves to buy it for $28 billion. Splunk previously laid off 4 percent of its workforce, or around 325 employees.
San Francisco and San Mateo County lost 10,000 jobs in September amid continued tech layoffs, though the unemployment rate for the two regions fell to 3 percent from 3.5 percent in the previous month as the labor force shrank.
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