GM laying off hundreds of IT workers globally, citing need for new skills

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7. Laid-off GM employees tell of ominous email, severance and role of AI

Autos
Laid-off GM employees tell of ominous email, severance and role of AI

Published Tue, May 12 2026 1:42 PM EDT
Updated Tue, May 12 2026 4:34 PM EDT
Michael Wayland
@MikeWayland

KEY POINTS
• General Motors employees who were laid off Monday described their job terminations to CNBC.
• The layoffs affect about 500 to 600 employees, largely in information technology roles in Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan, according to a person at GM familiar with the layoffs.
• Artificial intelligence played a role in the decision, but it was not the only reason for the terminations, the person said.

DETROIT — An ominous email about an oddly timed 15-minute virtual meeting. A scripted message from human resources. And an abrupt end to that meeting, as well as their job.

That's how General Motors employees who were laid off Monday by the Detroit automaker described their jobs being terminated to CNBC. ... "No appreciation or empathy. No questions. Nothing," said a data analyst who worked for more than a decade at the automaker.

The layoffs affect about 500 to 600 employees, largely in information technology roles in Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan, according to a person at GM familiar with the layoffs who asked not to be named in order to speak about details that had not been made public. The layoffs came as the automaker reevaluates its workforce needs and cuts costs amid uncertain market conditions.

The two laid-off workers, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions or impacts to potential future jobs, said their units had gone through recent restructurings and that they were being encouraged to use artificial intelligence more in their work.

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