The job cuts keep mounting, and job search giants are not immune to cuts of their own. Indeed and Glassdoor have announced layoffs in 2025, the sister companies bearing the brunt of the decision made at their parent firm, Recruit Holdings. Keeping in line with the trend of AI-driven layoffs we’ve seen take shape across the globe, Indeed and Glassdoor are exploring AI integration across their platforms.
The AI restructuring at Glassdoor and Indeed was announced in an email to employees recently, with the communication explaining that 6% of the total workforce would be affected by the cuts. Employees targeted by the cuts will have received follow-up emails explaining the same on Thursday. Across platforms and industries, AI is paving the way for more efficient systems of work that don’t rely as heavily on manpower. Despite Indeed and Glassdoor both playing such a significant role in helping job seekers find work, it appears that employees who maintain the system will soon have to use it to look for work of their own.
The 2025 layoffs at Indeed and Glassdoor are another sign of the push for an AI-driven future. (Image: Pexels)
Indeed, Glassdoor Layoffs in 2025—Here’s What We Know
Recruit Holdings is a Japan-based firm that owns Indeed, Glassdoor, and other recruitment and service-seeking platforms like ClickIQ, Simply Hired, Treatwell, and Quandoo. The business has made it its job to dominate the job seeker market, acquiring adjacent platforms to build up an expansive list of services that people can turn to while looking for work or booking a service. Recruit Holdings acquired Indeed in 2012 and Glassdoor in 2018, firmly securing two prime platforms that many turn to while looking for work and vetting potential employers.
To remain competitive and adapt to AI-driven changes, Indeed and Glassdoor are laying off workers, resulting in a combined headcount reduction of around 1,300 employees. The cuts represent about 6% of the HR technology segment workforce and will primarily affect workers based in the US, although external cuts are not out of the question. From the memo, it is apparent that workers in the research and development, growth, and people and sustainability teams will be affected the most. Indeed cut 1,000 employees last year, making the additional cuts this year all the more brutal for workers.
As an extended result of Recruit Holdings’ job cuts, Reuters reports that the Glassdoor operations will also be integrated into Indeed more thoroughly. With no need for a separate leader at the wheel, Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong will be forced to leave the company starting October 1. The Chief People and Sustainability Officer of Indeed, LaFawn Davis, will also be removed from her role on September 1, and the Chief Operating Officer of Recruit Holdings, Ayano Senaha, will replace her.
AI-Driven Layoffs Are Reshaping the Nature of Work
A clear explanation was not provided for the Recruit Holdings job cuts, but the memo indicated that these were indeed another example of AI-driven layoffs. In the memo to employees, Recruit CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba explained that “AI is changing the world, and we must adapt by ensuring our product delivers truly great experiences for job seekers and employers.”
Exactly how AI adoption in hiring platforms is connected to the job losses remains unclear. The proliferation of AI doesn’t necessarily indicate a reduced need for manpower, so we’re uncertain if workers are being replaced to save up for AI or if the technology has now made these workers redundant.
The Indeed and Glassdoor layoffs in 2025 aren’t the only sign that job search platforms are adopting AI as the best way to help candidates find work. Professional networking platform LinkedIn has also gone all in on AI tools to help its users find work on its platform more effectively and announced layoffs of its own this year. We’ve seen multiple discussions around the use of AI tools in the realm of AI and HR this year, and for the most part, job seekers have been unsatisfied by the ways that recruiters are currently embracing AI. Greater integration into the back-end processes may be accepted more readily, but the efficacy remains to be seen.
We’re Yet to See How Indeed and Glassdoor’s AI Integration Will Take Shape
Recruit Holdings’ job cuts are clearly motivated by artificial intelligence, but we’re yet to see exactly how this will take shape. Indeed and Glassdoor have not championed overt AI integrations across the platforms, but this does not mean that the technology hasn’t reshaped these platforms already. During a discussion at a JP Morgan Chase tech conference this year, CEO Idekoba indicated the HR industry was led by “60% or 65% of human labor manual cost” and he was keen to “simplify hiring with using AI and technology and data to reduce manual work.”
According to CBS News, he also explained that one-third of the company’s programming code was already being written by AI, and the figure could rise to 50% pretty soon. This indicates the company has already replaced some of its human labor with the capabilities of AI, and is keen to continue doing so in its coding and development work at the very least.
The Indeed and Glassdoor layoffs announced for 2025 are likely just the start to the company’s AI ambitions, and we could hear of more cuts down the line once further investments are made in AI. The landscape of work looks bleak for workers, solidifying their fears that AI and AI experts are coming for their jobs at an unprecedented pace this year.
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