Autodesk layoffs today: Software company cuts 7% of jobs in latest tech downsizing

Autodesk, Inc. announced Thursday it plans to lay off about 1,000 employees, largely in sales roles. The announcement comes just a week after another tech company, Meta, announced it would eliminate up to 1,500 positions.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest tech company layoffs.

What’s happened?

The plan will reduce the company’s workforce by approximately 7%. Autodesk indicated a significant number of the affected jobs would be in customer-facing sales roles.

The plan will also reallocate resources to accelerate strategic priorities, The Wall Street Journal reported.

CEO Andrew Anagnost assured employees in a letter that these layoffs were not indicative of a yearly pattern or a shift to replacing workers with AI. Last February, Autodesk announced a plan to reduce its workforce by 9%.

How many jobs are being lost?

The 2026 layoffs are projected to affect around 1,000 employees. Autodesk’s 2025 layoffs were projected to affect around 1,350 employees, according to Anagnost’s internal message.

Autodesk predicts pre-tax restructuring charges between $135 and $160 million, largely tied to employee termination benefits. The restructuring plan is expected to conclude by the end of fiscal year 2027.

Why is Autodesk laying off employees?

This move is part of the final phase in Autodesk’s recent efforts to optimize sales and marketing. Last February’s layoffs were informed by the “need to drive more efficiency and focus” to implement specific programs, according to Anagnost’s statement to employees.

In the letter to employees, Anagnost said the reduction focuses on completing the company’s go-to-market transformation, expanding its AI and platform capabilities, and strengthening corporate functions.

At Autodesk University in September 2025, the company revealed brand-new AI tools with pre-beta software. One such tool was a neural CAD, which Autodesk said could automate 80-90% of routine design tasks. It was a big step forward in Autodesk’s AI investments, and perhaps indicative of what this reduction is making room for.

Other 2026 tech layoffs

Just last week, Meta announced a 10% reduction in its Reality Labs division, the section of the company primarily responsible for augmented and virtual reality (like the metaverse). It was the largest layoff announcement in the tech sector so far in 2026.

Nearly 124,000 employees across 269 tech companies were laid off in 2025, according to data compiled by Layoffs.fyi. Since 2023, Autodesk has laid off at least 1,600 employees.

With Meta and Autodesk’s projected reductions alone, at least 2,500 employees across the two companies will lose their jobs.

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