Roundtable Recap: April 2 – Tech Layoffs Escalating, Entrepreneurship is the Only Solution

Immediately following this week’s roundtable, I received an email from Alan Cohen, analyst at RationalFX, with some disturbing but not surprising data on tech layoffs.

Data shows that so far this year, a total of 78,557 tech layoffs have been recorded globally, with the United States accounting for the vast majority, 59,510 job cuts across 54 companies, or roughly 76.7% of the total. American companies Oracle (25,254), Amazon (16,000), and Block (4,000) account for the most significant workforce reductions so far this year.

Notably, Oracle’s cuts are entirely AI-driven, reflecting a broader shift towards reallocating resources into automation and AI infrastructure. This has helped propel a wider trend across the industry, with AI-related restructuring now accounting for 37,638 layoffs, close to half of all tech job losses in 2026. According to our calculations, if the current pace of tech layoffs continues, 2026 will end with roughly 318,592 tech layoffs in total, coming closer to the tech layoff peak in 2023 when an estimated 430,000 people lost their jobs.

There is only one solution to this trend of mass layoffs by the tech majors: learn to become an entrepreneur. 

Don’t have to build unicorns. Just solve a problem. Build a business. Create your own livelihood.

This tsunami of layoffs will continue. Paralysis is not a solution.

Also, if you have a job and are in a company that is orchestrating mass layoffs, now is a very good time to consider bootstrapping a startup with a paycheck.

Many founders start part-time, validating ideas and acquiring early customers before going full-time, but most accelerators require quitting jobs. We support bootstrapping with a paycheck through a virtual, non-equity model with structured mentoring and a 24/7 AI Mentor. Founders can validate markets, refine positioning, and build revenue while keeping income and reducing risk.

Related reading:

Equity-Free Accelerator for Laid-Off Techies | 1Mby1M

Top Accelerator for Part-Time Founders: Bootstrap with a Paycheck through 1Mby1M

TexKart

As for our entrepreneur pitches, up first, Navneet Gaur, from Haryana, India, pitch TexKart, a textile industry B-to-B marketplace that is already generating transactions.

Haryana, part of the Delhi NCR corridor, is a growing startup hub across Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula, and Ambala, with strong activity in SaaS, logistics, manufacturing, and agritech. Many founders build part-time, making our virtual, bootstrap-first, solo-founder-friendly model a strong alternative to traditional equity-driven accelerators. For a full analysis, read: Haryana Startup Accelerator Ecosystem

ICP Ripple

Next, Sara Soleymani from the San Francisco Bay Area, California, pitched ICP Ripple, a concept stage venture that looks promising.

You can listen to today’s recording here:

As always, I would very much like to hear about your business, so let me invite you to come and pitch at one of our free 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtables. We will be holding future roundtables on most Thursdays at 8am PDT:

April 9 – Register Here.

April 16 – Register Here.

April 23 – Register Here.

You can always start with the 1Mby1M AI Mentor and THEN come talk to me for deeper, most complex conversations, or to discuss the recommendations you got from the AI Mentor.

If you want a deeper relationship with me, you are very welcome to join the 1Mby1M Premium program. 

One Million by One Million (1Mby1M) is the first global virtual accelerator in the world, founded in 2010 by Silicon Valley serial Entrepreneur Sramana Mitra. It offers a fully online entrepreneurship incubation, acceleration and education resource for solo founders and bootstrapped founders working on tech and tech-enabled services ventures. 1Mby1M does not charge equity, offers an AI Mentor in 57 languages, and offers a distinct advantage over other accelerators including Y Combinator.

This segment is a part in the series : Roundtable Recap