Snap is cutting 1,000 jobs, 16% of its workforce

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits San Francisco. Tickets are going fast. Register now.Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. REGISTER NOW. Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us Snap is laying off roughly 16% of its global workforce, impacting around 1,000 full-time employees, according to a memo sent to staff from Snap CEO Evan Spiegel on Wednesday. The company cites advancements in AI for the cuts.“While these changes are necessary to realize Snap’s long-term potential, we believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers,” the memo, made public via an SEC filing, reads. “We have already witnessed small squads leveraging AI tools to drive meaningful progress across several important initiatives, including Snapchat+, enhanced ad platform performance, and efficiency improvements in our Snap Lite infrastructure.”Spiegel also wrote that the company is closing more than 300 open roles. Snap had about 5,261 full-time employees as of December 2025. The company says the cuts will allow it to reduce its annualized cost base by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, helping to “establish a clearer path to net-income profitability.”“Snap faces a crucible moment — squeezed between giants with enormous resources and nimble startups moving fast,” the company wrote in a presentation to investors. “To meet this moment, we are pivoting toward profitable growth.”Employees based in the U.S. will receive four months of severance, healthcare coverage, equity vesting, and transition support.The company joins a growing list of tech companies that have undergone significant cuts this year, including Meta, Oracle, and Amazon.Topics Consumer News Reporter Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University.You can contact or verify outreach from Aisha by emailing aisha@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at aisha_malik.01 on Signal.StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. An Amazon warehouse worker died on the job at Oregon facility Stanford report highlights growing disconnect between AI insiders and everyone else Sam Altman responds to ‘incendiary’ New Yorker article after attack on his home Anthropic temporarily banned OpenClaw’s creator from accessing Claude France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are getting more expensive This founder helped build SpaceX’s most powerful rocket engine. Now he’s building a ‘fighter jet for orbit.’ © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.