HP to lay off up to 6,000 workers as it goes all-in on AI and automation

[midian182]

What just happened? HP Inc has become the latest big tech firm to announce it is laying off thousands of jobs while investing heavily in AI. The printer and PC maker said it will be cutting staff by between 4,000 and 6,000 people by the end of fiscal 2028 as it focuses on automation tools such as agentic AI.

HP revealed the cuts in its latest earnings report. It estimates that the move will save the company $1 billion across three years. The restructuring is expected to incur around $650 million in costs, around $250 million of which will fall in fiscal 2026.

As with the many other companies laying off staff, HP says it aims to drive customer satisfaction, product innovation, and productivity through artificial intelligence adoption.

"Two years ago, we started to do some pilots on how AI could help us to drive these things," HP CEO Enrique Lores said during an earnings call. "What we have learned is that we need to start from redesigning the process, and once we know how the process could be redone using AI, using agentic AI, it can really have a very significant impact."

Lores added that HP intended to grow faster than the market in 2026, and that it had a "significant opportunity" to embed AI in everything it does, thereby transforming the company.

There's a long list of companies that have laid off workers as a direct result of AI this year. Amazon (despite what Andy Jassy claims), Glassdoor, Indeed, Microsoft, Meta, Cisco, TikTok, IBM, and many more have let go of thousands as they opt for automation over humans.

We've seen claims that blaming AI can be a convenient excuse for companies looking to reduce staff while also appearing cutting edge.

Earlier this month, data from workplace analytics firm Visier showed that companies are rehiring a growing share of the same employees they laid off as AI fails to live up to its promise as a cheap(er) human replacement.

Elsewhere, the memory crisis that is sending the price of DRAM through the roof is expected to impact HP, forcing it to raise the price of its devices. But Microsoft ending Windows 10 support in October is expected to push more people into buying its Windows 11 machines.

HP's stock fell more than 5% in after-hours trading and is down more than 25% in 2025.

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HP to lay off up to 6,000 workers as it goes all-in on AI and automation

 

[yRaz]

Aside from OLEDs, I can't really think of any HP product worth buying. I forget what they did, but Mid 2000s my dad refused to buy anything from HP

 

[pnntmp]

A company which stock is 25% down for less than a full year obviously has very serious problems, likely sells far less products, hence needs less people.
Unfortunately in such cases layoffs are inevitable, and AI has absolutely nothing to do with that.

Please decide which way you'll spread AI hysteria:
1. AI doesn't work, it's a bubble,
OR
2. AI will take everybody's job.

It's ridiculous to have both.

 

[TheBigT42]

Aside from OLEDs, I can't really think of any HP product worth buying. I forget what they did, but Mid 2000s my dad refused to buy anything from HP

I won't buy anything HPE ever again. Their server line has turned to S***T and their support has gotten even worse. From 2017 to 2023 we multiple system boards and ram modules fail it wasn't even believable. This was on 8 ProLiant servers. Also, I don't think they ever made the 4 hour response time once. It was usually the next day if we were lucky.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

AI is going to take some jobs from people that do very little.

"What would you say you do here?" - Office Space

 

[Coisa]

I bought HP as an IT guy but in retirement I'm a consumer. I quit HP when they started to brick printers that used refurb'd cartridges. Their auto ink program is ridiculous. Also, stopped buying after their off the shelf laptops and desktops became virtually un-upgradable. There is zero reason to have brand loyalty to HP

 

[brucek]

Are they sure that AI is not going to soon conclude it can not recommend HP's printers to consumers?

 

[Vanderlinde]

Your not transforming the company when inserting or replacing everything with Ai; your dehumanizing it and expect to get long term profit(s).

I have not touched HP products for long due to it's ridiculous ink cartridge or E-waste issues with those cheap printers that always seem to be killed exactly when warranty ends.

 

[OortCloud]

When is the corporate insanity going to stop?

 

[3ogdy]

Coisa said :"I quit HP when they started to brick printers that used refurb'd cartridges. "
That's the exact same reason I gave up on HP's product lineup. I print very little at home nowadays, but I know I'm not touching HP printers or any other HP product. What they're doing to people makes me look for another manufacturer.
Granted, they are not the only ones in the industry causing these issues.

 

[ragreeen2646]

I won't buy anything HPE ever again. Their server line has turned to S***T and their support has gotten even worse. From 2017 to 2023 we multiple system boards and ram modules fail it wasn't even believable. This was on 8 ProLiant servers. Also, I don't think they ever made the 4 hour response time once. It was usually the next day if we were lucky.

HP Inc is a different company. HPE is enterprise equipment and software. HP Inc is PCs and printers.
HPE pretty much outsourced support.

 

[TheBigT42]

HP Inc is a different company. HPE is enterprise equipment and software. HP Inc is PCs and printers.
HPE pretty much outsourced support.

Gee I had noooo idea. I can't believe that my dealing with HPE in a professional IT roll that I never knew HPE and HP where two different companies. I thank you sooo much for that piece of information.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Aside from OLEDs, I can't really think of any HP product worth buying. I forget what they did, but Mid 2000s my dad refused to buy anything from HP

I swore off them 20+ years ago when they were pulling printer shenanigans. Their laptops using DRMed chargers pissed me off to the point I just refuse to work on them anymore.

My workplace FINALLY banhammered HP after dealing with their Scanjet 5000v5s, which just flat out do not work right on modern TWAIN drivers, and being unable to get any form of support from HP because their phone support just hangs up on you and never lets you talk to a human. Oh yeah, and their printers that needed the HP app to function, which bricked them as we cannot use personal windows accounts at work and corporate windows accounts cant use the HP app.

 

[daffy duck]

Are they sure that AI is not going to soon conclude it can not recommend HP's printers to consumers?

The fact they would need AI to tell them this is in itself a huge worry. I'll save them a metric **** ton of money and tell them it for free.

 

[p51d007]

I bought HP as an IT guy but in retirement I'm a consumer. I quit HP when they started to brick printers that used refurb'd cartridges. Their auto ink program is ridiculous. Also, stopped buying after their off the shelf laptops and desktops became virtually un-upgradable. There is zero reason to have brand loyalty to HP

It's not just HP either. I've been in the printer/copier/computer business for over 40 years (service side). Heck, the A3 size copiers that HP sells are mechanically nothing more than Samsung copiers, with HP firmware. When Samsung had the blow out (no pun intended) with the too big battery in their phone years ago, they needed MONEY and HP bought their copier business, and released the HP copier for the dry (toner) process that was the Samsung, with the cabinet colors changed to HP & the HP software/firmware. They even have a chip in the cartridge that prevents you from using an aftermarket cartridge. Pretty much the entire industry does it.
I know Toshiba use to allow Katun toner to work, then they released a firmware that made that cartridge not work. Katun changed the programming on the CRUM chip to make it work and Toshiba upgraded the firmware about two months later that bricked the cartridge again.
Granted, SOME aftermarket toner/ink doesn't work, but h*ll, Katun makes pretty good toner.
It's just the companies are a bit greedy. It's like the razor/razor blade thing. Sell you the handle cheap, but charge you an arm & leg for the blades!

 

[James321]

HP need to crash and burn.

 

[Y2JB47]

Outside of maybe answering tech support calls, can anyone name a technical role which can be fully replaced by AI today? I can’t.

 

[Northy]

Rather than fixing the declining quality of products and support generation by generation, just fire people and inject AI.

Genius move.