#news

Activity but nobody is talking…

China has released a Wells Fargo & Co. banker it earlier blocked from leaving the country, according to a person familiar with the matter, ahead of a potential in-person meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-17/china-lifts-exit-ban-on-wells-fargo-banker-amid-us-trade-talks

Sep16 6am UTC - Sep17 6am UTC totals: 75 layoffs.
September totals (except Sep01): 4857 layoffs, and 544 additions.
Methodology and day-by-day breakdown is in comments.

Chairman Paul Bulcke will step down early and hand over to former Inditex chief Pablo Isla on October 1, accelerating a changing of the guard at the Swiss food giant after an unprecedented period of managerial turmoil.

https://www.reuters.com/business/nestle-ushers-new-leadership-era-chairman-exits-early-2025-09-16/

BTW,when is the next one?

https://extra.ie/2025/09/15/news/donald-trump-quarterly-financial-reports?ITO=msn

Sycamore Partners has replaced Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth with Mike Motz, who was previously the CEO of office retail store Staples, another Sycamore company.

“Under that CEO’s watch, Staples shuttered a third of its stores,” he said. “It cut tens of thousands of jobs. We’re wary that if Sycamore applies that same playbook to Walgreens, if that CEO that’s coming over from Staples applies that same playbook to Walgreens, we’re going to have … thousands of stores closed, tens of thousands of layoffs, pharmacy deserts in neighborhoods that are already struggling with access to medication.”

Planta, which opened in 2016 and focuses on 100% plant-based dining, will shrink from 18 total locations to eight after a judge signed off on its bankruptcy plan. The company filed for bankruptcy in May and was reported to be facing between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities with almost no assets at the time.

https://country.iheart.com/content/2025-09-15-popular-restaurant-chain-closes-majority-of-locations-after-bankruptcy/

• September 15, 2025: Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) will cut 133 roles at its Bellevue office.

https://intellizence.com/insights/layoff-downsizing/major-companies-that-announced-mass-layoffs/

California Resources Corporation (CRC) will acquire Berry Corporation in an all-stock transaction valued at about $717 million, including Berry’s net debt, the companies announced on Sept. 15.

https://worldoil.com/news/2025/9/15/crc-to-acquire-berry-in-717-million-all-stock-merger-expanding-california-oil-assets/

More specifically, the DeRoyal facility in LaFollette, Tennessee, which produces all kinds of tools and instruments for use in healthcare settings, is closing down primary operations by the end of this month – with full shutdown by the end of 2025.

https://www.newsbreak.com/the-coconut-mama-317784482/4234203487555-tennessee-braces-for-incoming-factory-shutdown-and-153-layoffs-confirmed

FLD - listen up....AI is failing big time....

https://futurism.com/ceos-ai-disaster

https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2025/09/08/red_hatters_to_be_big/

Source below...

Oracle has quietly eliminated more than 3K jobs across the US, India, the Philippines, and Canada, marking one of the largest workforce reductions in its recent history. The cuts took place between August and September 2025, but the company has made no public announcement. Instead, the layoffs were revealed through legally required WARN filings in the United States and similar notices abroad.

The timeline

• August 13, 2025: Bloomberg reported that Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure teams were hit first. No company statement was released.
• September 2, 2025: WARN filings in Washington State showed 101 layoffs effective November 3, 2025. Kansas City operations were also affected.
• September 3, 2025: California filings revealed 254 jobs cut across three sites, including 187 in Redwood City.
• September 4-5, 2025: Another 101 layoffs in Seattle were disclosed.
• Ongoing through September: More reductions followed in India, the Philippines, Canada, and Europe, often announced through “business update” meetings.

Where the layoffs happened

• United States: 262 jobs in Seattle, 254 in California, plus additional cuts in Kansas City, targeting former Cerner employees.
• India: Around 10% of Oracle’s workforce, or 2,800 to 3,000 staff, lost jobs across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Noida, and Kolkata.
• Philippines: Entire teams in Advanced Customer Services and the NetSuite Global Business Unit were eliminated.

Who was affected

• Oracle Health (formerly Cerner): Consulting, implementation, and care delivery roles took the hardest hit. Kansas City has now lost more than 5,000 Oracle jobs since the $28.3 billion Cerner acquisition in 2022.
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Cuts hit Enterprise Engineering, Fusion ERP, data center technicians, and even AI/ML project managers. This came as Oracle announced major AI investments.

Why it happened

The layoffs came just weeks after CEO Larry Ellison met with President Trump and unveiled a $30 billion AI infrastructure deal with OpenAI. Despite strong financial results—$57.4 billion in revenue for fiscal 2024, up 8% year-over-year—Oracle is cutting traditional roles to fund AI expansion.

These are not recession-driven cuts, but deliberate restructuring aimed at shifting resources toward artificial intelligence.

The human impact

Oracle has remained silent publicly, leaving WARN filings and brief internal meetings as the only communication. Many long-serving employees, some with over 20 years at the company, were informed of their termination during short virtual meetings.

One employee shared on LinkedIn that the layoffs highlight a growing reality: companies will eliminate jobs to fund AI, even when profits are strong. Experience and loyalty no longer guarantee security.

https://www.finalroundai.com/blog/oracle-laid-off-over-3000-staff-worldwide-through-warn-filings-2025

Sep11 6:30am UTC - Sep12 6am UTC totals: 100 layoffs.
September totals (except Sep01): 4638 layoffs, and 279 additions.
Methodology and day-by-day breakdown is in comments.

The former chemical engineer and biofuels researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland was furloughed two months ago. In August, PNNL laid him off, along with 90 other jobs being cut in recent weeks.

https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/pnnl-layoffs-prompt-criticism-concern

https://about.att.com/story/2025/ookla-rootmetrics-awards.html

Oops.

I'm thrilled to finally share the exciting news that I've been promoted to my dream role as the VP of Merchandising for Asia Pacific and Latin America at Nike!

It's been a busy few months setting up this amazing team for success, but I'm proud to be back home in APLA, leading with passion, commitment, and determination.

After 22 incredible years at Nike, this role is a dream come true. I'm so grateful to the amazing leaders who've supported me throughout my career and believed in me.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2025/09/10/oracle-stock-up-94-on-growth-forecast-learn-whether-to-buy-orcl/

Unrealistic results! The only one buying is OpenAI.

Dell reportedly cutting staff from China operations — affected employees have until October 10 to apply for internal transfer | Tom's Hardware https://share.google/6gtW4E9TAmsroMPYt

• Multiple leaders working on Intel's Ohio One project have recently left the company.
• The departures come as construction has slowed and the project faces significant delays.
• Among those who have left are the company's top Ohio lobbyist and the construction site manager.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2025/09/10/intel-leaders-leave-ohio-project-factory-openings-delayed-chips/86077035007/

Brent is down about 35% since April when the layoff plans were put in place. If I had to guess, more layoffs are going to be needed early 2026 unless prices recover.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated that no decisions have been made about removing the 38 aircraft per month production cap on Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX family aircraft, which has been in place since early 2024.

https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/faa-boeing-737-max-cap-lift

https://techrights.org/n/2025/09/10/The_Bluewashing_of_Red_Hat_is_Being_Completed_Many_Staff_Unders.shtml

https://techrights.org/n/2025/09/10/The_Bluewashing_of_Red_Hat_is_Being_Completed_Many_Staff_Unders.shtml

Looks like ncr is trying to get out of midtown. Has anyone heard anything?

https://www.costar.com/article/615308192/one-of-nations-largest-office-sublet-listings-hits-market-in-atlanta

https://www.intc.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1749/intel-announces-key-leadership-appointments-to-accelerate

Microsoft layoffs continue with new job cuts in Redmond

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2025/09/08/microsoft-lays-off-dozens-more-employees-in-wa.html

Fifth consecutive month of Microsoft layoffs: Seattle tech giant cuts more Redmond positions

https://mynorthwest.com/local/microsoft-layoffs-redmond-2/4129427

Microsoft cuts 42 more jobs in Redmond, continuing layoffs amid AI spending bo-m

https://www.geekwire.com/2025/microsoft-cuts-42-more-jobs-in-redmond-continuing-layoffs-amid-ai-spending-bo-m/

https://www.peoplematters.in/news/strategic-hr/after-us-cuts-microsoft-plans-major-layoffs-in-this-country-43421

Take the time to read it, it makes several good points.

The entire U.S. economy is being propped up by the promise of productivity gains that seem very far from materializing.

https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/archive/2025/09/ai-bubble-us-economy/684128/

Anyone notice in news articles a date for the layoff was given???

Posobiec’s post reads: “Tariff the foreign remote workers. All outsourcing should be tariffed. Countries must pay for the privilege of providing services remotely to the US the same way as goods. Apply across industries, leveled as necessary per country."

https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/trumps-advisor-navarro-needles-india-once-again/amp_articleshow/123722111.cms

Sept 5 (Reuters) - Attorneys general from Colorado and 19 other states on Friday called for a court to consider rejecting a U.S. Department of Justice's settlement allowing Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE.N), opens new tab to acquire Juniper Networks for $14 billion.

The letter from the Democratic attorneys general is the latest development over the DOJ's decision to drop its attempt to block the merger, which a former DOJ official has said was influenced by politically connected lobbyists.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/hpe-juniper-deal-should-be-probed-democratic-ags-tell-court-2025-09-05/

Douglas McIntyre, Editor-in-Chief at Climate Crisis 24/7, reported that U.S. oil giants are cutting jobs despite strong profits. Citing The New York Times, he noted that ConocoPhillips plans to lay off up to 3,250 workers after its $17 billion acquisition of Marathon Oil. McIntyre explained that industry mergers, steady oil prices, and the slow pace...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/u-s-oil-giants-slash-jobs-despite-growth

Ohio senator introduces 25% tax on companies that outsource jobs overseas | Fox News https://share.google/G3tXfTsJIrMo8qRBB

🚨🇺🇸🇮🇳 TRUMP: WE WILL CRUSH INDIA TECH WORK

Trump is reportedly considering banning American tech companies from outsourcing their work to India, and Silicon Valley is sweating bullets.

Here’s why this is huge: For decades, U.S. companies have sent IT work overseas because it’s cheaper.

In fact, by 2023, they spent a jaw-dropping $132B on outsourcing, with nearly 4 out of 10 tech jobs shipped abroad.

Most of that work went to India, which has built a $62B industry off American companies alone.

But Trump’s message is simple: if U.S. firms stop sending jobs to India, American workers win.

Supporters say it could bring back around 300,000 jobs a year that have been leaving the country.

Critics warn it could spark trade tensions with India, which has dominated outsourcing for decades thanks to lower costs.

This wouldn’t be Trump’s first move.

Back in his first term, he introduced rules to curb outsourcing, too, and now he’s hinting at doubling down.

If the ban actually happens, it could be one of the biggest shake-ups in tech and trade in years, hitting India’s economy hard and forcing U.S. companies to either hire at home or pay the price.

Source:
@nicksortor
, Forbes

https://x.com/watcherguru/status/1963999477536010484?s=46

Halliburton reduces workforce as oil activity slumps, sources say
By Shariq Khan and Liz Hampton
September 5, 2025

DENVER, Sept 5 (Reuters) - U.S. oilfield services provider Halliburton (HAL.N), has been cutting staff in recent weeks, according to two sources familiar with the matter, marking the latest workforce reduction in the U.S. oil industry as it faces rising costs and a period of lower prices and volatility.
Global benchmark Brent crude oil prices have dropped more than 10% this year amid uncertainty over global trade policies and as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies raise output. U.S. oil company ConocoPhillips this week announced it would cut up to 25% of its staff to reduce costs.

The scope of Halliburton's layoffs was not immediately clear.
Halliburton has rolled out the cuts over several weeks, according to the sources, who were directly involved in layoffs but not authorized to speak publicly. At least three business divisions had lost between 20% and 40% of employees, the sources said.
Halliburton, the third-largest global oilfield services company by revenue, did not respond to a request for comment.
Oilfield services companies provide technical expertise, equipment, and labor, including drilling, to support oil and gas exploration and production.
Houston, Texas-based Halliburton had 48,395 employees at the end of 2024, according to its latest annual report.
The company in June said it expected a sharp decline in full-year revenue, as it warned of lower activity in the oil and gas sector. It posted a 33% fall in second-quarter profit this year amid weaker demand.
On a conference call with analysts after reporting second-quarter earnings, CEO Jeff Miller noted the oilfield services market appeared very different than it did 90 days ago, citing a slowdown in North America and among large national oil companies elsewhere.
"To put it plainly, what I see tells me the oilfield services market will be softer than I previously expected over the short to medium term," he said.
Brent crude was trading below $66 on Friday, down nearly 20% from this year's peak north of $82 a barrel in mid-January, as investors braced for the OPEC+ group's meeting on Sunday. Reuters earlier reported the group will consider raising output further at that meeting.

Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver and Shariq Khan in New York; Additional reporting by Arathy Somasekhar and Georgina McCartney in Houston Editing by Rod Nickel

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/halliburton-reduces-workforce-oil-activity-slumps-sources-say-2025-09-05/

(Bloomberg) -- Hiring plans fell to the weakest level for any August on record and intended job cuts mounted amid broader economic uncertainty, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

US-based companies announced in August plans to add 1,494 jobs, the fewest for the month in data going back to 2009. Of the 30 industries tracked by Challenger, hiring plans were concentrated in aerospace and defense, industrial goods and retail.

Announced job cuts jumped from a year ago to almost 85,980 and marked the largest August total since 2020. Excluding the impact of the pandemic, the number was the highest for any August since the Great Recession in 2008.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-04/us-hiring-intentions-pull-back-while-job-cut-announcements-rise

Stay tune…bigger news coming …grab the popcorn and watch the drama unfold…