Visa has laid off around 2,600 employees, or nearly 7% of its global workforce, as part of an AI-led restructuring.
The layoffs have affected employees across multiple functions, including senior leadership and engineering roles.
The company says the move will help improve efficiency and support future growth through AI.
Visa has announced one of its biggest workforce reductions in recent years, eliminating around 2,600 jobs, or nearly 7% of its global workforce, as the payments giant restructures its operations to focus more on artificial intelligence (AI), according to reports. The company has not officially disclosed the impact on its India workforce.
The layoffs span multiple countries and business functions, with technology and product teams among those affected. The company has said the move is aimed at improving efficiency while redirecting resources towards AI and other long-term growth areas.
1 August 2026
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According to the company's annual report, Visa's global workforce stood at around 34,100 employees in fiscal 2025. The company has not disclosed how many of the latest job cuts are in India, where it had more than 3,500 employees in 2024.
Senior Roles Also Affected
According to a WARN notice filed in California, Visa is laying off 320 employees at its Foster City headquarters. The filing shows that the job cuts extend beyond junior and mid-level employees.
The layoffs include six vice presidents, 37 senior directors and 16 chief engineering and architect roles, along with senior software engineers, researchers and other experienced technical professionals, according to the filing.
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Bloomberg had earlier reported that Visa planned to reduce about 7% of its global workforce. The company confirmed the figure to SFGATE but did not comment on details of the California layoffs.
AI at the Centre of Restructuring
Visa Chief Executive Officer Ryan McInerney said the company is reshaping its workforce to prepare for the next phase of AI adoption.
"Today, we announced that we are eliminating roles, with the majority being in our technology and product teams, to ensure that we are continuing to position Visa for future growth," McInerney said during the company's earnings call on July 28.
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He added that Visa is moving beyond using AI as an assistant and is entering the era of agentic AI, where AI systems can carry out tasks with human supervision. The company believes agentic commerce, in which AI agents research, compare and make purchases for consumers, will support future business growth.
Broader Industry Trend
Visa said the restructuring is intended to improve efficiency and allow the company to reinvest in areas with stronger long-term growth potential.
Visa has not officially disclosed how many of the eliminated positions are based in India, despite the country being its largest technology hub outside the United States.
However, Business Standard reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that around 500 employees at Visa's technology centre in Bengaluru were laid off as part of the restructuring. The report said this accounted for about 14% of the company's workforce in India. Visa has not publicly confirmed the reported India layoffs.
The layoffs come as several global financial and technology companies increase investments in AI while reshaping their workforces. Earlier this year, Mastercard announced plans to reduce about 4% of its global workforce, while fintech company Block also unveiled job cuts as it reorganised its business.
