Webflow Layoffs Signal AI-Driven Tech Bloodbath as 2026 Sets Record Pace

San Francisco-based website builder Webflow has become the latest tech company to slash its workforce, with CEO Linda Tong announcing a significant restructuring on May 28 that employees described as a 'bloodbath.' The company, which employs between 500 and 1,000 people, declined to specify exact numbers, but at least one anonymous software engineer believes the cuts exceed the 8% reduction Webflow made in 2024.

The way the layoffs were handled added insult to injury: employees were locked out of company devices and systems before receiving termination notices sent to their personal email accounts. Workers woke up to alarming texts from colleagues, then roughly 90 minutes later got formal termination emails. Webflow's spokesperson defended the practice as a standard security measure to protect customer data — but affected workers said there was zero advance warning.

The laid-off engineer pushed back hard on the AI rationale, arguing that leadership fundamentally misunderstands the technology. He warned that executives who believe AI has replaced human engineers will eventually discover they've created dysfunction rather than efficiency — though by then, the damage will already be done.

Webflow's cuts are far from isolated. Competitor Wix announced the same day it was cutting roughly 20% of its workforce, blaming both unfavorable shekel-to-dollar exchange rates and AI disruption. Meta cut 8,000 jobs in April, while Intuit, Cisco, and LinkedIn have also made major workforce reductions. The broader picture is alarming: 144,000 tech jobs have been eliminated in just the first five months of 2026, putting the year on pace to shatter 2025's total of 245,000 cuts — and the year is barely half over.