Tech layoffs break records—and now the dark web wants tech talent
The tech industry has let go of over 141,000 people in 2025 so far, already beating last year's total.
Big names like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Google, and Intel are trimming teams as they shift toward automation and AI.
By the numbers: Layoffs & a new hiring hotspot
Layoffs have been more focused this year—February saw 16,234 cuts and October topped out at 18,510.
By November, nearly 153,000 tech workers from over 500 companies were out of a job.
Now, some are finding unexpected offers: cybercriminals are openly recruiting laid-off developers on dark web forums.
Who's getting recruited—and for how much?
Developers are in highest demand on these shady sites (about 61% of posts), with typical pay around $2,000/month; reverse engineers have a median salary of $4,000.
Kaspersky says resumes and job ads on these forums doubled in early 2024 compared to last year and have stayed high through early 2025.