Oracle rejected severance negotiations from laid-off workers
Original: Laid-off Oracle workers tried to negotiate better severance. Oracle said no.
Why This Matters
Highlights evolving corporate layoff practices and employee equity issues in tech
Oracle laid off 20,000-30,000 employees via email on March 31, 2026. The company offered standard severance terms but refused to accelerate unvested stock compensation, with some employees losing significant equity.
Oracle terminated employees through email and VPN deactivation on March 31, 2026. The severance package included four weeks pay for the first year plus one week per year of service, capped at 26 weeks, plus one month COBRA insurance. However, Oracle refused to accelerate unvested RSUs, which comprised up to 70% of some employees' compensation. One long-tenured employee lost $1 million in stock four months from vesting. The company also classified some hybrid workers as remote to avoid WARN Act requirements, which mandate 60-day notice for mass layoffs affecting 50+ people at one location. Employees who pushed back on these terms were unsuccessful in negotiations.