In a single 30-minute Zoom call, a promising career built on years of hard work can vanish. This warning comes from a recent LinkedIn post by Satveer Gandhi, an experienced software engineer at EPAM Systems who has previously worked at Amazon and Rakuten. In his post, Gandhi shared the story of a close friend who, until just last week, was working at Oracle before being suddenly laid off.
He recounted his friend’s experience: “Last week, I was an Oracle employee with a ₹65 LPA package and a brand new ₹1.5 Cr flat. Today, I’m another statistic in a layoff spreadsheet.”
The ‘Tax & Burnout’ trap
Gandhi highlighted a common sentiment among mid-to-senior tech professionals: high taxes, intense workloads, and burnout, yet job security remains uncertain, regardless of company or compensation.
Many engineers make major life investments, homes, cars, and family commitments, assuming a high CTC provides stability. But layoffs can strike suddenly, upending lives.
Notice periods of 60-90 days, meant for knowledge transfer, often trap employees in limbo. Recruiters may hesitate to wait, leading to lost offers or delayed negotiations. In a fast-moving market, a 90-day delay can mean the difference between quick re-employment and long uncertainty.
Staying ‘Market-Ready’ amid uncertainty
Gandhi added the importance of preparation. Rather than letting a 3-month notice period become a “cage,” he kept his Naukri profile active and optimised, attracting recruiter calls even during uncertainty. “While many are stuck in the ‘blocking loop” of long notice periods, my Naukri profile is buzzing with recruiter calls as you can see in my last week post. I’m active, available, and ready to move—without the 90-day wait holding me back,” he said.
Gandhi advised tech professionals to stay visible, keep skills updated, and be financially prepared, so they can quickly land new roles if layoffs happen.
Oracle’s massive layoff wave hits India
Oracle, the US-based tech giant, recently laid off about 12,000 employees in India, roughly 40% of its local workforce, as part of a global reduction of around 30,000 jobs. Many employees learned of their fate through abrupt early-morning emails, some arriving as early as 6 AM IST, with immediate revocation of VPN and Slack access.
The emails cited operational streamlining, describing positions as “redundant.” India’s major tech hubs, like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune, were hit hardest.
The cuts are linked to Oracle’s push into AI infrastructure and cloud initiatives, including the “Stargate” supercomputer project with partners like OpenAI. Despite a strong recent financial performance, a solid 95% jump, Oracle is redirecting resources toward AI and cloud, trimming payroll to fuel these priorities. A further round of layoffs is expected in the coming weeks.
A bigger trend in tech sector
Oracle isn’t alone. The tech industry has faced ongoing turbulence through 2025 and 2026, with thousands of jobs cut across IT services, startups, and product companies. Entry-level hiring has dropped due to AI automation, cost optimisation, and cautious hiring.
Companies now prefer specialised skills in AI, cloud, and high-throughput systems, while roles in traditional maintenance and support are being reduced.