‘Today Is Your Last Working Day’: Oracle Sends 12,000 Indian Employees a Cold 6 AM Layoff Email
In what may be the largest single-day white-collar layoff in India’s corporate history, Oracle has terminated 12,000 employees across the country, informing them via a brief, impersonal early-morning email with no prior warning.
Twelve thousand Oracle employees in India woke up to find their careers at the company over, not through a conversation with a manager, not through an HR meeting, but through a short, formulaic email signed simply, ‘Oracle Leadership.’
The email, which landed in inboxes at approximately 6 AM across time zones, informed employees that their roles had been eliminated with immediate effect as part of a “broader organisational change.” The message was blunt: today is your last working day.
The Email That Sparked Outrage
The communication, widely circulated on X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and other platforms, drew immediate outrage for its clinical efficiency. Employees confirmed the cuts in real time, describing the experience as deeply dehumanising. There was no prior HR communication, no conversation with a direct manager, and no advance notice of any kind.
To make matters worse, employees were placed under immediate pressure: they were required to submit a personal email address via a linked form before their Oracle accounts were deactivated, failing to do so risked missing severance-related communications entirely. System access, email, voicemail, computer login, and files were cut almost immediately after the message was sent.
Here is the full email sent by Oracle
“We are sharing some difficult news regarding your position.
After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change. As a result, today is your last working day.
We are grateful for your dedication, hard work, and the impact you have made during your time with us.
After signing your termination paperwork, you will be eligible to receive a severance package subject to the terms and conditions of the severance plan. You will receive an email from DocuSign to your Oracle email address with details on your severance and termination date.
Immediate Action Required
To receive important follow-up information, including FAQs and separation documents to help you through this transition, you must provide a personal email address.
Please click here to submit a personal email address immediately. If you make a submission error, please re-submit a new form. Please Note: The personal email address will only be used for correspondence regarding separation-related information and severance agreements.
Access to your computer, email, voicemail, and files will be deactivated soon, and you will be unable to log into your computer. As a reminder, you are prohibited from downloading, copying or retaining (including emailing yourself) any Oracle confidential information.
Thank you for your contributions to our organization. If you have additional questions, please reach out to the HR team via the Ask HR page or at (888) 404-2494.
Oracle Leadership”
Oracle Layoffs – The EMAIL.
— Amanda Goodall (@thejobchick) March 31, 2026
The job cuts will affect somewhere around 20,000 and 30,000 – which is about roughly 18% of their global workforce.
This has been clearly evident since early-mid Feb as I have been alerting. https://t.co/OaPyUkjxLa pic.twitter.com/0Oy98thWQt
One widely-shared Reddit post captured the sentiment plainly: workers across India, the US, and other regions learned their jobs were gone before most people had finished their morning coffee.
Oracle slashes 30,000 jobs with a cold 6 a.m. email. Workers across the U.S., India, and other regions learned their jobs were gone before most people had finished their morning coffee, with no prior warning from HR or their managers.
by u/esporx in anticapitalism
India Bears the Heaviest Blow
The 12,000 employees let go in India represent nearly 40 percent of Oracle’s estimated 30,000-strong domestic workforce. Globally, Oracle has cut between 20,000 and 30,000 roles, roughly 18 percent of its total workforce, according to investment bank TD Cowen. A second round of layoffs is expected within a month, per multiple media reports.
Why Is Oracle Cutting Jobs Now?
The mass terminations are being driven by Oracle’s aggressive, debt-funded push into artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company has committed an estimated $156 billion in capital spending on AI data centres, a bet that requires freeing up $8 billion to $10 billion in cash flow, which these layoffs are expected to generate, according to TD Cowen analysis.
What Severance Are Affected Employees Getting?
The severance package offered to affected employees in India reportedly includes:
- 15 days’ salary per completed year of service
- One month of unpaid wages until the termination date
- Leave encashment and gratuity where applicable
- A one-month notice period payout
- An additional two-month salary top-up
Crucially, this package is reportedly conditional on employees agreeing to resign voluntarily and amicably, a clause that has drawn further criticism from labour observers.
Oracle has not issued a public statement addressing the manner in which the layoffs were communicated.
If you or someone you know has been affected by the Oracle layoffs, share your experience with us at PuneNow.
