Autodesk to cut 1,000 workers as the tech company bets on AI

Software institution Autodesk is slashing astir 1,000 roles, representing a 7% chopped of its planetary workforce.

The San Francisco company, which makes bundle utilized by architects, designers and engineers, told its employees Thursday that “strategic shifts,” including its absorption connected expanding its enactment successful artificial intelligence, fueled its latest circular of cuts.

Workers successful “customer-facing sales” roles volition beryllium importantly affected by the layoffs, and the outgo savings volition beryllium reinvested successful the company’s priorities done the fiscal twelvemonth ending January 2027, the institution said successful a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

While the emergence of artificial quality that tin make code, substance and images has heightened fears that exertion volition displace workers, Autodesk Chief Executive and President Andrew Anagnost told employees that isn’t what is driving the cuts.

“I privation to beryllium wide that this volition not go an yearly process astatine Autodesk and these changes are not driven by the outer situation oregon an effort to regenerate radical with AI,” helium told employees successful an email connected Thursday. “We stay steadfast successful our content that exertion is lone arsenic almighty arsenic the radical who usage it and humans volition ever beryllium the astir important portion of the equation.”

The institution changed however customers acquisition and renew its bundle subscriptions, asking them to wage Autodesk directly.

Autodesk declined to stock however galore of the layoffs are happening successful California. The institution has offices extracurricular of the United States, including successful Europe and Asia.

The institution plans to laic disconnected astir 104 employees astatine its San Francisco office successful April, according to a Thursday missive to the California Employment Development Department.

Autodesk is the latest California tech institution this twelvemonth to denote different monolithic circular of cuts, adjacent aft already shrinking its workforce successful 2025. Last year, Autodesk said it would chopped astir 1,350 positions, oregon astir 9% of its workforce, citing geopolitical and macroeconomic factors and its AI investments.

Meta, the genitor institution of Facebook and Instagram, is besides slashing its workforce again and closing respective contented studios arsenic it focuses much heavy connected investing successful wearables specified arsenic smartglasses. The layoffs deed much than 1,000 employees and focused heavy connected those who were moving connected the metaverse, integer spaces wherever radical socialize, work, larn and prosecute different online activities.

In the 3rd 4th ending successful October 2025, Autodesk’s gross accrued 18% to $1.85 billion. The company’s nett income during that 4th was $343 million, up from $275 million.