You can’t make this up
Oracle finds a new use for its employees' email inbox. Also, there are AI jobs out there that aren’t getting much attention.
Hey there,
Happy April Fools’ Day. I almost started with a fake headline, like “Lupa raises $500M Series A” or “Every tech company agrees to stop calling layoffs ‘organizational realignments.’” Honestly, though, this week’s real headlines are already unbelievable.
Oracle laid off up to 30,000 people yesterday morning via a 6am email. Meanwhile, LinkedIn data shows AI has created 1.3 million new jobs in two years. And the trade agreement that makes cross-border hiring in North America possible is up for its first formal review this summer.
The real news is more interesting than anything fake. Instead of “AI is destroying everything,” the real story this quarter is that the labor market is changing quickly, and companies that adapt will come out ahead.
At Lupa, we spent the week doing what we always do: pairing the right person to the right role. That stays the same, no matter how surprising the headlines are.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. Oracle Fires 30,000 People With a 6am Email
Recap: On Tuesday, March 31, Oracle began what analysts believe could be the largest layoff in company history. Employees across the US, India, Canada, and Mexico received termination emails from “Oracle Leadership” at approximately 6am local time with no prior warning. Investment bank TD Cowen estimates the cuts will affect 20,000 to 30,000 employees, roughly 18% of Oracle’s global workforce. Access to company systems was cut immediately.
The numbers are big. Oracle announced a $2.1 billion restructuring plan in its SEC filing. TD Cowen says the layoffs will free up $8 to $10 billion in cash flow, which will go straight into AI data center infrastructure. Oracle’s net income jumped 95% last quarter, and it has $523 billion in remaining performance obligations. Financially, this firm stays stable.
However, what people will remember is how it was done. No phone call, no meeting, no talk with a manager. Just a 6am email and a locked laptop. Employees on Reddit said some teams lost at least 30% of their members, and some people found out they were let go only when they lost access before even reading the message.
There are business reasons to restructure when investing. Companies change direction and strategies regularly. That’s normal. However, treating the process like a logistics task—where 30,000 people learn about their jobs from an automated email before sunrise—is not. How you handle a transition shows your remaining employees, your customers, and the market who you really are.
Oracle will likely be fine financially. The $156 billion infrastructure build is a real strategy for real demand. However, the knowledge those 30,000 people had doesn’t move to a data center. And the trust of the employees who are still there just took a hit that no all-hands meeting can repair.
Advice:
If you ever need to make cuts while building a company, plan how you’ll communicate it before you plan how much you’ll save. How you deliver the news matters more than the memo itself.
2. AI Has Quietly Created 1.3 Million New Jobs
Recap: A LinkedIn report published in partnership with the World Economic Forum found that AI has created more than 1.3 million new jobs globally in just 2 years, including roles such as AI Engineer, Forward-Deployed Engineer, and Data Annotator that barely existed before 2023. The WEF projects 170 million new roles by 2030, with a net gain of 78 million jobs after accounting for 92 million displaced. LinkedIn also reported a 34% year-over-year increase in AI/ML job postings, even as overall tech postings declined 8%.
This is the story that deserves more attention. It not only contradicts the layoff headlines but also further adds important context to them.
The labor market isn’t falling apart—it’s shifting. Global hiring is still about 20% below pre-pandemic figures. Nevertheless, LinkedIn’s data shows the slowdown is mostly due to economic insecurity and post-pandemic adjustments, not AI taking over. Except for a few roles, jobs with high and low AI exposure are being filled at about the same rate.
What’s changing is the mix of jobs. AI Engineer is now LinkedIn’s fastest-growing job title, up 143% from last year. The typical hire has 3.7 years of experience, so it’s not just for senior executives. Mid-career professionals with the right skills can get these roles. Plus, 52% of professionals worldwide say they’re actively job hunting in 2026. The talent and demand are both there—the match just looks different than it did two years ago.
The WEF gave a number worth remembering: a net gain of 78 million jobs by 2030. The transition won’t be easy; nevertheless, the opportunity is real for people and companies set to adapt.
Advice:
If you’re hiring, don’t look for the same profiles you hired in 2023. The roles are changing. If you’re job hunting, AI skills aren’t just a bonus anymore—they’re becoming standard. LinkedIn data shows that workers are now more than twice as likely to add AI skills to their profiles than they were six years ago. Take note and follow their example.
3. The USMCA Review Is Coming. North American Hiring Hangs in the Balance.
Recap: In July 2026, the United States, Mexico, and Canada will begin the first formal review of the USMCA trade agreement. Under Article 34.7, the three countries can extend the agreement for 16 years, initiate annual reviews, or begin a termination process. The review is expected to cover rules of origin, labor standards, nearshoring incentives, and broader issues, including migration and drug policy.
This story isn’t getting enough attention, but it matters more than most of the stories covered today.
The USMCA governs a $1.93 trillion trade corridor across three countries and 500 million people. The July review will determine whether the agreement gets extended to 2042, creating 16 years of regulatory predictability, or enters a period of annual reviews that could freeze cross-border investment decisions for a decade.
If you’re building distributed teams with talent from Latin America, this isn’t just background noise. Mexico brought in $40.9 billion in foreign direct investment in the first three quarters of 2025, up 14.5% from the year before. New investments jumped 218%. That growth is closely linked to the stability the USMCA brings. If the review goes well, it keeps the conditions that make nearshoring possible. Otherwise, the uncertainty might slow things down for years.
There’s some real irony here. In the same week a US tech company lays off 30,000 people to invest in AI, the trade rules that let companies hire skilled engineers in Latin America are being reviewed. Companies building strong teams now are watching both issues. While layoff headlines get attention, the trade review will shape what happens next.
Advice:
If you’re hiring or planning to hire in Latin America, mark July 2026 on your calendar. The results will affect everything from compliance costs to how fast you can grow a cross-border team. Don’t wait for the news to catch up.
That’s it for this week.
I began by saying the real headlines are stranger than any April Fools’ joke. There’s a bigger point: the labor market is changing shape. Jobs are being created as others are cut. Money is moving. Trade agreements are under review. Everything is shifting.
Successful companies won’t panic or ignore change. Instead, they’ll act thoughtfully, hire the right people, treat them well, and build teams they want to keep.
If you’re wondering what that could look like for your company, we’re always willing to chat at lupahire.com.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa