The cuts hit product, technology, legal and HR teams, just days before the company reports its latest quarterly results. Netflix is laying off about 6% of its workforce, which works out to close to 1,000 positions, according to a memo sent to employees by its co-CEOs. The Netflix layoffs were announced on Wednesday, October 14, and are the company’s largest workforce reduction since 2022. The memo was signed by Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. Netflix declined to comment beyond what the memo said.
Which Teams Are Affected by the Netflix Layoffs
According to CBS News, the cuts will fall mainly on the product, technology, legal and human resources departments. Netflix had roughly 16,000 full-time employees at the end of 2025, based on its annual filing with regulators. That means the reduction touches a meaningful slice of the company’s corporate base. The company has not published a breakdown by country or office.
The Wall Street Journal was the first outlet to report the news, and other major outlets later reviewed the memo themselves. Netflix confirmed the figures to TechCrunch. Anyone affected can expect further details to come from the company directly, since no public list of roles or locations has been released.
What Netflix Told Its Employees
In the memo, the co-CEOs said the company needs to be “disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources.” They described the decisions as difficult and said they were not taken lightly. At the same time, they stressed that the business remains strong and growing, and that Netflix is still on track to meet its full-year forecast.
The leadership also said the company will keep investing heavily in areas that can improve its service. In other words, Netflix is framing the move as a reallocation of resources rather than a sign of financial trouble. Whether that framing holds will become clearer once investors see the company’s numbers.
Why the Timing Matters
The announcement comes only days before Netflix reports its quarterly earnings, which are scheduled for Tuesday, October 20. Sarandos said at a Bloomberg conference last month that the company was “not growing as fast” as he wanted, a comment CNBC highlighted in its coverage. The AP also noted that Netflix’s earlier third-quarter forecast had come in below Wall Street’s expectations.
Competition in streaming is getting tighter. According to AP, Netflix accounts for about 19% of the market, based on JustWatch data, with Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+ close behind. TechCrunch added that the layoffs follow Netflix’s loss of a long bidding war for the streaming and studio businesses of Warner Bros. Discovery, which went to Paramount Skydance earlier this year. None of the reports say that bid caused the cuts, so the link should be read as context, not as a stated cause.
How This Compares With Earlier Netflix Layoffs
Netflix has mostly avoided large-scale job cuts in recent years, according to The Hollywood Reporter, although it has adjusted individual teams from time to time. The last major round came in 2022, when the company let go of about 150 employees in May and another 300 in June as subscriber growth stalled. This week’s reduction is far larger than either of those rounds.
What to Watch Next
The first thing to watch is the October 20 earnings report, where executives are likely to be asked about costs, hiring and growth targets. Investors will also look for any details on severance, restructuring charges or further changes to team structure. For now, the human impact is clear: about 1,000 workers across several corporate functions are losing their jobs. You can find more reporting in our Business section.