Edition #21 - AI Layoffs Enter “Preemptive” Phase, Big Tech’s AI Bill Triggers A $1.35T Selloff (Jan 31–Feb 8, 2026)

Written by Alex Nguyen in Vancouver, Canada • Feb 8, 2026

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Fresh layoff tallies show that cuts now span cloud providers, chipmakers, SaaS firms, and consumer tech, with thousands of January job losses tied to restructuring and “AI‑driven efficiency.” Oracle’s potential 20,000–30,000 job reductions to fund AI data centers stand out, and even profitable firms are trimming staff as they shift budgets toward AI, cloud, and automation. (InformationWeek, Computerworld)

What it means for you: If you work in tech, assume that “good company, good results” is no longer a shield against layoffs and build optionality by maintaining a portable portfolio of skills, side projects, and networks beyond a single employer or niche.

New analysis of corporate announcements shows firms such as Amazon, Expedia, and several financial players now explicitly linking layoffs to AI adoption or “automation” in investor calls and internal notes. In many cases the tools are still maturing, but leaders are using expected future productivity gains to justify current cuts, particularly in middle‑management and routine knowledge roles. (Tech Xplore)​

What it means for you: Treat AI‑driven restructuring as real even if your company’s AI tools still look clunky, and proactively reposition toward roles that specify ownership of AI systems, data quality, or client outcomes rather than generic “support” work.

A management survey of more than a thousand global executives finds that most “AI‑related” layoffs so far are based on expectations of future impact rather than hard evidence that AI has already boosted productivity. The authors warn this preemptive approach risks over‑cutting, damaging morale, and missing the bigger prize of redesigning work around AI instead of just shrinking headcount. (Harvard Business Review)​

What it means for you: When leadership talks about “AI efficiency,” you are safer if you can help redesign workflows so AI handles the grunt work while you focus on judgment and coordination, making you the person who knows how to wrap human decision‑making around the tools.

A Bay Area roundup notes that Amazon’s 16,000 job cuts, plus layoffs at Google and Meta, are landing in the same neighborhoods where AI startups are raising record rounds and signing big office leases. The piece highlights a 300 million dollar Series A for an AI firm and new state rules (SB 53) that force large frontier labs to publish safety frameworks, underlining how policy and capital are racing to catch up with the boom. (Nucamp blog)​

What it means for you: For tech workers in major hubs, the near‑term path may involve moving from big incumbents to smaller, riskier AI firms or adjacent industries, so build a financial and skills runway that lets you pursue startup or contract opportunities instead of being forced into the first available role.

Updated layoff trackers now list major job cuts not just in tech but also in manufacturing, energy, and industrials, with examples like Dow planning to cut 4,500 employees in an “AI overhaul” and Ola Electric trimming about 5 percent of its workforce. AI now appears alongside energy transition, input costs, and weak demand as a standard reason for reshaping workforces. (Intellizence)​

What it means for you: If you are outside classical “tech,” start mapping which processes in your company could plausibly be automated so you can move toward designing, supervising, or complementing those systems rather than being replaced by them.

Earnings from Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Meta, Amazon, and Google triggered a sharp pullback, wiping about 1.35 trillion dollars off their combined market value as they laid out roughly 660 billion dollars in planned AI infrastructure spending. Amazon alone is pointing to around 200 billion dollars of capex, more than 50 percent above last year, and Alphabet says its 2026 capital spending could double to about 175–185 billion dollars, stoking fears that AI returns will lag the upfront costs. (TechBuzz, CNBC, Reuters, Yahoo Finance)

What it means for you: If you hold Big Tech, this is a reminder that even dominant AI players can be volatile when capex outruns near‑term profits, so it is prudent to size these positions so you can ride multi‑year payoffs without being forced to sell into drawdowns.

Bitcoin dropped from late‑January highs above 80,000 dollars to below 70,000 before rebounding more than 11 percent to trade around 70,400 dollars on February 6, with intraday moves above 71,000. Commentators point to profit‑taking after a huge run‑up, shifting expectations about Fed policy, and continued inflows into bitcoin ETFs as key drivers. (CNBC, Statista)

What it means for you: If you own or are considering bitcoin, treat it as a speculative sleeve rather than core savings, size it accordingly, and avoid letting short‑term price spikes or drops derail your longer‑term plan for retirement or emergency funds.

Ethereum slid from levels above 2,800 dollars into the low 2,200s and has since bounced back toward the 2,300 area, with analysts describing the move as a correction inside a still‑cautious medium‑term trend. Commentary this week notes subdued confidence across DeFi and NFT markets and suggests ETH may trade in a relatively tight band until a clearer macro or regulatory catalyst appears. (Yahoo Finance, Crypto.news)

What it means for you: For ETH holders, this is another nudge to match your time horizon to the asset: if you believe in multi‑year Ethereum use cases, set position sizes and rebalancing rules so routine 20–30 percent swings do not force you into panic trades.

A new global outlook frames early‑year data as a test of whether the US and euro area can cool enough to justify late‑2026 rate cuts without reigniting inflation. The eurozone is described as “constructive but cautious,” with inflation near target, unemployment just over 6 percent, and the ECB signalling that decisions will follow the data rather than a fixed timetable. (Otet Markets)​

What it means for you: For diversified investors, this supports staying in risk assets but building portfolios that can handle both a gentle easing path and a scenario where rate cuts come later than markets currently hope.

The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook update, published at the end of January and widely cited this week, projects global growth of 3.3 percent in 2026 and 3.2 percent in 2027, helped by technology investment and gradually easing inflation. At the same time it flags a tech‑valuation reset, renewed energy shocks, or stress in highly indebted economies as key downside risks to that baseline. (IMF)​

What it means for you: A mid‑3 percent growth backdrop argues against going ultra‑defensive for long‑term goals, but it still makes sense to diversify across regions and sectors instead of concentrating everything in a narrow AI or energy bet.

Global fixed‑income strategists note that the ECB expects firmer growth into 2026, helped by German fiscal spending and higher defense budgets, which reduces pressure to cut quickly. Their base case has inflation broadly anchored near, but not below, 2 percent and term premia staying higher than in the 2010s, which supports selective duration rather than an all‑in move to the long end of the curve. (Invesco)​

What it means for you: Bond investors may want a barbell of short‑term instruments for flexibility plus moderate, not extreme, long‑duration exposure, while borrowers should not plan on a quick return to ultra‑cheap money when deciding on mortgages or business loans.

A cross‑central‑bank briefing this week highlights how the Fed, ECB, and Bank of England are all stressing that future moves will be guided by incoming data rather than preset paths. Markets are being told to expect rate cuts only once inflation is clearly on a durable path lower, with some chance that the ECB and BoE ultimately ease more than currently priced if disinflation holds. (Capital Economics)​

What it means for you: If you run a business or manage a portfolio, build explicit scenarios around different inflation and rate paths instead of assuming a single central‑bank playbook, and stress‑test your finances for both slower‑than‑expected and faster‑than‑expected easing.

Coverage of megacap and industrial layoffs is feeding a narrative of a budding “white‑collar recession,” even though headline data still show low unemployment and solid consumer spending. Commentators warn that if AI‑linked cuts continue and wage growth slows, high‑income consumption and confidence could weaken in ways that only gradually show up in the aggregates. (CNN, Forbes)

What it means for you: Professionals in higher‑income roles should keep larger emergency funds than they might have pre‑2020 and avoid over‑leveraging on housing or lifestyle inflation, since job‑loss risk is now more correlated across white‑collar sectors than in past cycles.

That’s it for this week. Stay alert, stay curious, and keep taking proactive steps to shape your resilient future!