Indeed and Glassdoor Cut 1,300 Jobs as Recruit Holdings Accelerates AI Shift
Work News | New Stardom
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Recruit Holdings, the Japan-based parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor, is laying off approximately 1,300 employees across its HR Technology segment, representing around 6% of its global workforce. The cuts were announced in an internal company memo sent on July 10 and are tied to broader structural changes aimed at accelerating the company’s transition to AI-powered services.
Employees impacted by the layoffs were informed directly on Thursday. Roles in research and development, growth, and people and sustainability are among those most affected. While the restructuring spans multiple countries, the majority of the layoffs are expected to hit teams based in the United States.
In the memo, CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba framed the decision as part of a strategy to move faster and simplify operations. “Delivering on this ambition requires us to move faster, try new things, and think differently,” Idekoba wrote. “This has led to some very hard decisions.”
The company is also integrating Glassdoor’s operations into Indeed, effectively dissolving the standalone leadership structure at Glassdoor. As part of that change, Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong will step down on October 1, while Indeed’s Chief People and Sustainability Officer LaFawn Davis will leave her role on September 1. Ayano Senaha, Recruit Holdings’ Chief Operating Officer, will assume responsibility for the company’s global People organization.
Recruit has not issued a detailed public statement on the restructuring, but its July 11 press release confirmed that the financial impact of the workforce reduction was already included in its FY2025 consolidated guidance, first issued on May 9.
Broader context for the shift was provided by Idekoba in a May 15 fireside chat at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology Conference, where he described the HR industry as “60 to 65 percent manual labor cost.” He added that “around one-third of our programming code is now written by AI,” with expectations to reach 50% soon. The company is prioritizing AI adoption to streamline hiring, reduce redundancy, and shift product development at scale.
The layoffs follow a 2024 headcount reduction at Indeed and reflect Recruit’s ongoing investment in automation and restructuring in the highly competitive HR technology sector.
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Reporting: Sofia Simeonidou
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