IBM has reportedly announced layoffs in multiple divisions. According to a report by CNBC, the layoffs were announced by Jonathan Adashek, the Chief Communications Officer at IBM, in a seven-minute meeting without any prior notice.
The report did not disclose the exact number of affected employees but indicated that the layoffs were conducted in the company's marketing and communications division.
As of now, the company hasn't released any official statement regarding the same.
Earlier, the company's CEO, Arvind Krishna, had stated that they are going to pause hiring for roles that can be replaced by Artificial Intelligence. He also announced a suspension or slowdown in hiring for back-office roles like human resources, suggesting that around 30% of these positions could be replaced by AI and automation within the next five years.
In the starting of March IBM urged employees interested in voluntary redundancy to express their willingness to leave the company as it was gearing up for another wave of job cuts in Europe.
In a Q4 earnings call last month, IBM referred to layoffs as a "resource action." The Register further adds that this initiative is being viewed as "transformative" rather than solely financial in nature.
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