After mass layoffs, Oracle CFO tells employees be thoughtful of where to spend money

Oracle CFO Hilary Maxson held an all-hands meeting with employees after the company's latest round of layoffs. As per reports, Maxson told staff members that she wanted them to be more thoughtful of how they spent money.

In Short

• Oracle CFO Hilary Maxson wants employees to be thoughtful over spending money
• Her comments come after latest round of layoffs at Oracle
• Oracle is said to have fired thousands of workers, including those in India

Oracle is going through a major restructuring globally. This week, the company began its second round of mass layoffs this year, potentially impacting thousands of jobs globally – with many in India likely to be affected. Following the start of the layoffs, Oracle’s new chief financial officer, Hilary Maxson, held an all-hands meeting where she told employees to be more cautious in how they use money and resources.

As per a report from Business Insider, Maxson informed employees that they should help sustain the company’s financial growth. "This means being thoughtful about where we spend our time and money," she said. Earlier this month, Oracle reported 121 per cent growth in cloud infrastructure revenue.

But Hilary Maxson made it clear that this did not mean that employees would need to do more with less. Rather, she wants staff to focus on areas that can bring the most benefits. "I don't mean doing more with less, which is a phrase that I really, really don't like,” The Oracle CFO added. “It means simplifying processes that don't help customers and making clear choices on where we're going to use our resources where they have the greatest impact."

This was Hilary Maxson’s first company-wide meeting since she was appointed as CFO in April this year.

Oracle lays off staff for second time in 2026

Maxson’s remarks came at a sensitive time for staff. Oracle reportedly started a second round of layoffs on September 14, potentially impacting thousands of employees globally. As per reports, the news of the layoffs was given to employees via a 6 am email. The company’s workforce fell by about 21,000 employees, or 13 per cent, in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026 after its initial layoff round.

As per the report, the roughly hour-long meeting did not directly address the layoffs. Instead, Maxson and other executives focused on growth, customer demand and the opportunity created by artificial intelligence.

At the same meeting, Oracle co-CEO Mike Sicilia also urged employees to judge their work by its impact on customers. “I’d ask you to keep asking a very simple question: How does the work that I’m doing help deliver a better outcome for a customer?” he said.

These comments reflect the balancing act facing Oracle as it invests heavily in AI while trying to maintain financial discipline. Oracle has reportedly taken on tens of billions of dollars in debt as it expands data centres and AI infrastructure. Oracle reported first-quarter capital expenditure of $28.5 billion, up from $8.5 billion a year earlier, and kept its fiscal 2027 capital expenditure forecast at $90 billion to $95 billion.

It is believed that as many as 3,000 employees may be impacted in India by the second round of layoffs. Though the company has not confirmed how many employees have been impacted. As per reports, product engineering teams are likely among the most affected in India, with support and consulting functions likely facing less of an impact.

Oracle is one of many tech companies – such as Uber, Microsoft, Amazon, and PayPal – that have reduced their workforce in the past few months. As per layoffs.fyi, 303 tech companies have fired roughly 128,000 workers this year alone.

- Ends