Career sites Indeed and Glassdoor are axing 1,300 workers in an AI pivot
Indeed and Glassdoor, owned by the same Japanese parent company, are cutting 1,300 workers to focus more on AI
Recruit Holdings (6098.T), opens new tab, the Japanese parent of Indeed and Glassdoor, will reduce headcount by around 1,300 across the two job sites amid a shift in focus toward artificial intelligence, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.
The cuts — representing about 6% of the HR technology segment workforce — are mostly in the U.S. and within the research and development, growth, and people and sustainability teams, but span all functions and several countries, the memo said.
While the company did not provide a specific reason for the layoffs, Recruit CEO Hisayuki "Deko" Idekoba said ,"AI is changing the world, and we must adapt by ensuring our product delivers truly great experiences for job seekers and employers".
U.S. companies, including tech giants Meta and Microsoft, have announced job cuts recently to prioritize AI investments as well as to navigate slowing economic growth.
Recruit also said it would integrate Glassdoor operations into Indeed. As a result of which, Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong would leave the company, effective October 1.
LaFawn Davis, chief people and sustainability officer of Indeed, will also step down effective September 1, and will be succeeded by Ayano Senaha, chief operating officer of Recruit.
Recruit, which acquired Indeed in 2012 and Glassdoor in 2018, currently has 20,000 employees in the HR technology business unit.
In 2024, Indeed announced plans to eliminate 1,000 positions. This followed a previous announcement a year earlier, when the company said it would cut about 2,200 jobs, representing 15% of its staff.
Employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently placed on leave after signing a letter critical of the Trump administration's policies should be reinstated, said a union official in a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday.
Putting the employees on leave was illegal retaliation and all investigations into the employees and disciplinary action should be stopped, said Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents more than 8,000 EPA employees, in the letter to Zeldin.
"These employees engaged in protected speech on a matter of significant public concern, and their actions are fully protected by federal law and our collective bargaining agreement," Chen said.
The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency previously said it has a "zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the administration's agenda."
Hollywood’s video game voice and motion-capture actors have officially secured new AI protections after nearly a year of striking. On Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA announced that members ratified a new contract with major video game studios, marking a shift in how AI will be used in the gaming industry.
The deal covers studios including Activision Productions, Electronic Arts, Disney Character Voices, Insomniac Games, WB Games, and several others. Effective immediately, it ends a strike that had already been suspended pending final member approval.
The new contract, which was approved by 95% of voting union members, includes requirements for consent and disclosure whenever AI is used to create digital replicas of performers. It also grants actors the ability to suspend consent if there’s a strike, ensuring studios can’t generate new material from their likenesses without approval.
“This deal achieves important progress around AI protections, and progress is the name of the game,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement celebrating the ratification.
In addition to AI guardrails, the agreement includes improved safety measures for motion-capture performers, such as requiring medics on set during high-risk scenes. Performers will also see a compounded pay increase of 15.17% upon ratification, with an additional 3% raise each year through 2027.
The fight for AI protections echoes broader Hollywood tensions over artificial intelligence. Last year, writers and screen actors both went on strike over concerns about AI’s potential to replace jobs and use people’s likenesses without permission. Video game performers carried that momentum into their own negotiations.
Meanwhile, Congress is currently considering the NO FAKES Act. The bipartisan bill would make it illegal to create AI replicas of someone’s voice or likeness without permission. The legislation has gained support from SAG-AFTRA, the Motion Picture Association, The Recording Academy, and Disney.
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