Indeed & Glassdoor lay off 1,300 as parent company bets big on AI

Job-hunting just got a bit more ironic. Indeed and Glassdoor, two platforms that exist to help people find work, are cutting around 1,300 employees as part of a major AI-driven restructuring. The move comes from their parent company, Recruit Holdings, which says it’s leaning harder into artificial intelligence to simplify hiring.

In a memo obtained by Reuters, CEO Hisayuki Idekoba wrote, “AI is changing the world, and we must adapt.” The layoffs are hitting departments across the board, including R&D and tech teams. Many of the affected workers were directly involved in helping others get jobs, an unfortunate twist given the companies’ missions.

Recruit claims its AI now helps match someone with a job every 2.2 seconds. That kind of automation may sound impressive, but for those let go, it underscores the growing anxiety about AI’s role in replacing, not supporting, human work.

The restructuring isn’t just about cutting staff. Glassdoor’s operations are being folded more tightly into Indeed’s, and leadership is shifting too. Glassdoor’s CEO will step down in October, and Indeed’s chief people officer is also leaving.

This kind of move echoes what’s happening across the tech world. At Microsoft, another round of 9,000 layoffs came just as the company touted productivity gains from its AI tools. While leadership insists AI isn’t replacing workers, these decisions tell a different story.