Tech CEOs have increasingly blamed artificial intelligence for mass layoffs, but a recent Gallup poll tells a different story. Only 1% of laid-off workers say AI was the cause, while 25% of those laid off were fully remote employees.
The survey finds that layoff rates have stabilized at 21% after nearly tripling between 2022 and 2025. Tech and federal government roles remain particularly susceptible to cuts. Among executives, a 2024 BambooHR survey found that a quarter admitted return-to-office mandates were a pretext to spark voluntary turnover.
Cutting remote positions may be an expedient way to reduce oversized post-COVID workforces. While most surveyed workers report that employers are still hiring, tech companies are a notable exception—13% of laid-off workers came from the tech industry. In May 2026, Meta cut nearly 8,000 roles, and other giants like Microsoft and Snap have followed suit.
The findings challenge the dominant narrative around AI-driven disruption. They suggest that corporate restructuring, not automation, is the primary driver of current job losses. For remote workers, the risk is not just about productivity but about being easier targets in a tightening labor market.
Cloudflare cofounders Matthew Prince and Michelle Zatlyn, after cutting roughly 20% of staff, offer a cautionary tale. Yet the broader data indicates that proximity to the office, not algorithm displacement, may be the real factor determining who stays and who goes.