When it comes to gaming, laptops have come a long way. Once seen as the lesser cousin to gaming PCs, today’s gaming laptops pack a serious punch, offering remarkable power and portability in sleek packages. Whether you’re exploring open-world RPGs, dominating multiplayer arenas or creating content on the side, modern gaming laptops deliver performance that can rival many desktop rigs, with the added bonus of being able to game wherever you want.
One of the biggest advantages of a laptop is its flexibility. You don’t need to worry about bulky setups or being tethered to one spot. Plus, with features like displays with high refresh rates, powerful GPUs and cutting-edge processors, these machines are more than capable of handling AAA titles, eSports and even VR gaming. Many laptops now come equipped with RGB-lit keyboards, advanced cooling systems and next-gen SSD storage to keep up with your gaming needs, too. We’ve tested a number of the latest gaming laptops to see which are worth your money.
What to look for in a gaming laptop
Price
Your laptop buying journey starts and ends with the amount of money you're willing to spend. No surprise there. The good news: There are plenty of options for gamers of every budget. In particular, we're seeing some great entry-level PC gaming choices under $1,000, like Dell's G15 lineup. A cheap gaming laptop in this price range will definitely feel a bit flimsier than pricier models, and they'll likely skimp on RAM, storage and overall power. But most cheaper laptops should be able to handle the majority of video games running at 1080p at 60 frames per second, which is the bare minimum you'd want from any system.
Things get interesting when you start looking at the best gaming laptops in the mid-range space, with prices at $1,000 and higher. At that point, you'll start finding PCs like the ASUS Zephyrus ROG G14, one of our favorite gaming notebooks. In general, you can look forward to far better build quality than budget gaming laptops (metal cases!), improved graphics power and enough RAM and storage space to handle the most demanding games. These are the gaming machines we'd recommend for most people, as they'll keep you gaming and working for years before you need to worry about an upgrade.
If you're willing to spend around $1,800 or more, you can start considering more premium options like Razer's Blade, which is on-par with some of the best gaming PCs. Expect impeccably polished cases, the fastest hardware on the market, and ridiculously thin designs. The sky's the limit here: Alienware's uber customizable Area 51m is an enormous beast that can cost up to $4,700. Few people need a machine that high-end, but if you're a gamer with extra cash to burn, it may be worth taking a close look at some of these pricier systems.
CPU and GPU
The answer to this question used to be relatively simple: Just get an Intel chip with an NVIDIA GPU. But over the last few years AMD has stepped up its game with its Ryzen notebook processors, which are better suited for juggling multiple tasks at once (like streaming to Twitch while blasting fools in Fortnite). Intel responded with its impressive 12th and 13th-gen chips, but it’s nice to have decent Ryzen AMD alternatives available, especially since they’re often cheaper than comparable Intel models.
When it comes to video cards, though, AMD is still catching up. Its Radeon RX 6000M GPU has been a fantastic performer in notebooks like ASUS’s ROG Strix G15, but it lags behind NVIDIA when it comes to newer features like ray tracing. (We’re still waiting to test AMD’s new Radeon 7000 series mobile graphics.) At the very least, a Radeon-powered notebook can approach the general gaming performance of the NVIDIA RTX 3070 and 3080 GPUs.
If you want to future-proof your purchase, or you’re just eager to see how much better ray tracing can make your games look, you’re probably better off with an NVIDIA video card. They’re in far more systems, and it’s clear that they have better optimized ray tracing technology. NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs also feature the company’s DLSS technology, which uses AI to upscale games to higher resolutions. That’ll let you play a game like Destiny 2 in 4K with faster frame rates. That’s useful if you’re trying to take advantage of a high refresh rate monitor.
You’ll still find plenty of laptops with NVIDIA’s older RTX 30-series GPUs these days, and they’ll still give you tremendous performance. But to be safe, it’s probably worth opting for the newer RTX 40-series systems, since they support the newer DLSS 3 technology and offer a wealth of performance upgrades. (If you’re looking out for the best deals, you can probably find some killer RTX 3070 laptops out there.) The entry-level RTX 4050 is a solid start, but we’d suggest going for a 4060 or 4070 if you’re aiming to maximize your framerates on faster screens. The RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 are both incredibly powerful, but they typically make systems far too expensive for most users.
It’s worth noting that NVIDIA’s mobile graphics cards aren’t directly comparable to its more powerful desktop hardware. PC makers can also tweak voltages to make gaming performance better in a thinner case. Basically, these laptops may not be desktop replacements — don’t be surprised if you see notebooks that perform very differently, even if they’re all equipped with the same GPU.
Screen and refresh rate
Screen size is a good place to start when judging gaming notebooks. In general, 15-inch laptops will be the best balance of immersion and portability, while larger 17-inch models are heftier, but naturally give you more screen real estate. There are some 13-inch gaming notebooks, like the Razer Blade Stealth, but paradoxically you'll often end up paying more for those than slightly larger 15-inch options. We’re also seeing plenty of 14-inch options, like the Zephyrus G14 and Blade 14, which are generally beefier than 13-inch laptops while still being relatively portable.
But these days, there is plenty to consider beyond screen size. For one: refresh rates. Most monitors refresh their screens vertically 60 times per second, or at 60Hz. That's a standard in use since black and white NTSC TVs. But over the past few years, displays have evolved considerably. Now, 120Hz 1080p screens are the bare minimum you'd want in any gaming notebook — and there are faster 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz panels. All of this is in the service of one thing: making everything on your display look as smooth as possible.
For games, higher refresh rates also help eliminate screen tearing and other artifacts that could get in the way of your frag fest. And for everything else, it just leads to a better viewing experience. Even scrolling a web page on a 120Hz or faster monitor is starkly different from a 60Hz screen. Instead of seeing a jittery wall of text and pictures, everything moves seamlessly, as if you're unwinding a glossy paper magazine. Going beyond 120Hz makes gameplay look even more responsive, which to some players gives them a slight advantage.
Steve Dent/Engadget
Not to make things more complicated, but you should also keep an eye out for NVIDIA's G-SYNC and AMD's FreeSync. They're both adaptive sync technologies that can match your screen's refresh rate with the framerate of your game. That also helps to reduce screen tearing and make gameplay smoother. Consider them nice bonuses on top of one of the best gaming monitors with a high refresh rate; they're not necessary, but they can still offer a slight visual improvement.
One more thing: Most of these suggestions are related to LCD screens, not OLEDs. While OLED makes a phenomenal choice for TVs, it's a bit more complicated when it comes to gaming laptops. They're mostly limited to 60Hz, though some models offer 90Hz. Still, you won’t see the smoothness of a 120Hz or 144Hz screen. OLEDs also typically come as 4K or 3.5K panels – you'll need a ton of GPU power to run games natively at that resolution. They look incredible, with the best black levels and contrast on the market, but we think most gamers would be better off with an LCD.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Other things to remember when buying a gaming laptop:
Get at least 16GB of RAM. And if you're planning to do a ton of multitasking while streaming, 32GB is worth considering.
Storage is still a huge concern. These days, I'd recommend aiming for a 1TB M.2 SSD, which should be enough space to juggle a few large titles like Destiny 2. (If you can afford the jump to a 2TB SSD though, just do it.) Some laptops also have room for standard SATA hard drives, which are far cheaper than M.2's and can hold more data.
Get your hands on a system before you buy it. I'd recommend snagging the best gaming laptop for you from a retailer with a simple return policy, like Amazon or Best Buy. If you don't like it, you can always ship it back easily.
Don't forget about accessories! For the best performance, you'll need a good mouse, keyboard and a headset — these are some of the best gaming accessories for gaming PCs and laptops.
How we test gaming laptops
We review gaming laptops with the same amount of rigor as we approach traditional notebooks. We test build quality by checking cases for any undesirable flexible spots, as well as the strength of screen hinges during furious typing and Halo Infinite sessions. We benchmark every gaming notebook with PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark tests, Cinebench and Geekbench. We also use NVIDIA’s Frameview app to measure the average framerates in Cyberpunk 2077, Halo Infinite and other titles. For media creation, we transcode a 4K movie clip into 1080p using Handbrake’s CPU and GPU encoding options.
Displays are tested under indoor and outdoor lighting with productivity apps, video playback and gameplay. We also try to stress the full refresh rate of every gaming notebook’s screen by benchmarking Halo Infinite, Overwatch 2 and other titles. Laptop speakers are judged by how well they can play back music, movies and the occasional game session with detail and clarity, and without any obvious distortion.
When it comes to battery life, we see how long gaming systems last with a mixture of real-world productivity apps and gameplay, and we also test with PCMark 10’s “Modern office” battery test. In addition, we’re judging the quality of a machine’s keyboard with typing tests as well as relative accuracy and comfort during extended gaming sessions.
Best gaming laptops for 2025
Other gaming laptops we’ve tested
Framework Laptop 16
We were eager to test the Framework Laptop 16 since it promised both modular customizability and a decent amount of gaming power. But while we appreciated just how repairable and upgradeable it is, its actual gaming performance was middling for its high price. You could always buy it without the additional GPU, but that makes it more of a daily workhorse than a gaming system.
MSI Stealth Studio 14
On a brighter note, we were pleased to see MSI return to form with the Stealth Studio 14, which is far faster and more attractive than the previous model.
Razer Blade 16 and 18
We were amazed to see a genuine 4K/1080p native screen in the Razer Blade 16, but it’s far too expensive and impractical, even for such a pricey brand. Similarly, we found the Razer Blade 18 to be both oversized and overpriced.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-gaming-laptops-172033838.html?src=rss
Dell COO Jeff Clarke said at a media briefing that the naming decision was based on research the company did with "tens of thousands of customers."
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
Dell is ditching its old naming system for PC products.
The company is dividing its PC line-up into three categories: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max.
Dell executives said Apple didn't own the words "pro" and "max" when asked about the similar names.
Tech giant Dell has announced a new naming system for its PC line-up.
But that sparked some questions from people who attended a media briefing on Monday, who pointed out that Dell's new naming system seemed similar to a key competitor's.
Dell told reporters ahead of this year's Consumer Electronics Show that it was dividing its PC products into three categories: Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max.
This replaces Dell's current system which features names like Inspiron, OptiPlex, and XPS. The company said at the briefing that the new names won't apply to its gaming brand, Alienware.
"Your branding sounds a lot like Apple. Aren't you just following them?" one audience member said at the briefing, Bloomberg's Brody Ford reported on Monday.
Ever since the iPhone 11 was introduced in 2019, Apple has used the "Pro" and "Pro Max" labels for the iPhone's higher-tiered variants. The naming system is also used for some of Apple's other products as well, like the iPad Pro tablet, and the AirPods Pro earphones.
Apple doesn't own the words "pro" and "max," Dell's executives said at the briefing.
The company's COO Jeff Clarke said that the naming decision was based on research Dell did with "tens of thousands of customers," per Bloomberg.
The new naming system will "make it easier for our customers to do business with us," said Dell founder and CEO, Michael Dell.
Dell and Apple did not respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.
To be sure, Apple isn't the only tech company who has used words like "pro" in its product names. For instance, Microsoft has its Surface Pro tablets as well as its AI subscription offering, Copilot Pro.
Rival HP made a similar move to simplify their product naming system last year. The company said in May that it was using the prefix "Omni" for its consumer laptops and desktops, and the prefixes "Elite" and "Pro" for its commercial offerings.
Although Dell is best known for its computer business, the company has increasingly turned its attention toward its flourishing AI business. The company said in June that it was partnering with chip giant Nvidia to build an AI factory for Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI.
In November, Dell said its Infrastructure Solution Groups, which includes sales of AI servers, earned $11.4 billion in revenues for the third quarter of 2024, a 34% year-on-year increase.
In a bid to streamline, Dell is dropping some of its most iconic laptop brands. At CES 2025 on Monday, the PC company announced that XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude are moving to a farm upstate. In their stead come Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max. The move is a bid to create “unified branding” […]
This means that there won't be any more Dell XPS clamshell ultralight laptops, 2-in-1 laptops, or desktops. Dell is also killing its Latitude, Inspiron, and Precision branding, it announced today.
Moving forward, Dell computers will have either just Dell branding, which Dell’s announcement today described as “designed for play, school, and work,” Dell Pro branding “for professional-grade productivity,” or be Dell Pro Max products, which are “designed for maximum performance." Dell will release Dell and Dell Pro-branded displays, accessories, and "services," it said. The Pro Max line will feature laptops and desktop workstations with professional-grade GPU capabilities as well as a new thermal design.
Buyers at high price points don't always love properties customized for the previous owner, and the additional cost of maintenance and upkeep can deter even the deepest pockets. Some people struggling to rid themselves of luxurious properties end up slashing their asking prices. Others forego selling them altogether, choosing to either auction them off or rent them out instead.
At least two billionaires have found buyers for their homes this fall.
Gordon Getty, heir to the Getty fortune, found a buyer for his home near Berkeley, outside San Francisco, in less than a month. The 3,991-square-foot house, nicknamed the Temple of Wings, features Corinthian columns and luscious greenery, sold for $5.85 million in September after listing for $5 million in August.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's three-story, nearly 7,000-square-foot penthouse in Manhattan went into contract on October 10 after more than two years on the market, according to its listing. The former chair of Fox Corporation and News Corp. purchased it for $57.9 million in 2014. In 2022, he listed it for $62 million but dropped the price as low as $28.5 million — a 50% decrease.
A handful of billionaires, however, have homes they're still trying to sell.
Here's a roundup of billionaire-owned properties from Boston to California on the market as of January 6. They are presented in order of last name.
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen listed his Bay Area mansion for $33 million in March 2024.
Marc Andreessen's Atherton mansion has five bedrooms and sits on 1.55 acres of land.
Bernard André Photography
Earlier this year, tech investor Marc Andreessen and his wife Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen listed their $33 million Bay Area mansion.
Touted as ideal for hosts of events and parties, the five-bedroom, four-bathroom home has seven fireplaces, two separate kitchens ready for catering, and custom built-ins throughout to display art. It is located in Atherton, California, near Palo Alto and Stanford, and across the street from the Menlo Circus Club, an exclusive social club.
The Andreessens may not be leaving California altogether, however. The couple has purchased over $250 million worth of real estate in Malibu, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Deason, who sold his IT and business process outsourcing company Affiliated Computer Services to Xerox for $6.4 billion in 2009, initially spent about $26 million on the house and an adjacent parcel of land, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Over about six years, Deason poured an additional $60 million into transforming the property into a breathtaking 13,000-square-foot mansion, drawing inspiration from Versailles and the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a five-star retreat for celebrities in the South of France.
The estate includes a seven-bedroom main house and a three-bedroom guest house, with 14 full bathrooms and three half-bathrooms. It also features a pool, two cabanas, a fitness center, and an elevated, private beach with sand Deason imported from the Augusta, Georgia, golf course where the famed Masters tournament is played.
If the property sells even near its listing price, it will more than double the San Diego County record of $44.1 million set by billionaire Egon Durban in 2023.
Michael Dell is trying to offload not one but two luxury penthouses in Boston.
Michael Dell's penthouse in Millenium Towers isn't the only luxury property in Boston he's looking to part ways with.
Lucas Scott, Nauset Media
Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell is no stranger to eye-popping real estate.
In 2015, he was the buyer of what was then the most expensive home ever sold in New York City, a $100 million penthouse overlooking Central Park on West 57th Street, aka Billionaires' Row. He raised his kids in a sprawling 33,000-square-foot Austin compound dubbed "The Castle" that featured both indoor and outdoor pools.
As of January, Dell's net worth was $119.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Now Dell is looking to unload two Boston properties he bought in 2020.
The first is a penthouse in Boston's tallest residential tower, One Dalton, which is one of the Four Seasons' private residences. The ultra-luxe home comes complete with 24-hour white-glove concierge service and a 570-square-foot private balcony. Originally listed at $34 million, the price has been reduced to $31 million as of October.
Dell's second Boston property for sale is a $9.45 million penthouse on the 54th floor of Boston's Millennium Tower, located just steps from the iconic Boston Commons park. This property features floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city and the Charles River.
Hedge fund manager and billionaire Ken Griffin is exiting Chicago by selling his multiple condos
No. 9 Walton in Chicago.
Google Street View
Ken Griffin, who founded Citadel, a hedge fund that manages $92.46 billion in total assets as of September 2023, is offloading a few condos in Chicago.
Griffin bought a Chicago penthouse and three other units for $59 million in 2017 in what is still the city's biggest real-estate deal.
Records show he bought the top two floors, totaling about 15,000 square feet, for $34 million. The units are the top two floors of the No. 9 Walton building and are unfinished. Griffin has never lived in them.
In November, he sold those units for $19 million, taking a 44% loss on the sale. He's not quite yet done as the other two units he owns are still for sale.
According to Forbes, Griffin's net worth is $45.9 billion as of January.
Joe Lacob, who owns the Golden State Warriors, put his Malibu mansion on the market in August.
Lacob's property is one of several lavish digs on Carbon Beach, a part of Malibu nicknamed Billionaire's Beach.
David McNew/Getty Images
The owner of the Golden State Warriors basketball team, Joe Lacob, once claimed to be one of the best blackjack players in the world, winning $1 million in one sitting at least nine times.
Lacob must be hoping his luck hasn't run out as he tries to sell his Malibu mansion for $44 million.
The home on Carbon Beach has five bedrooms across about 5,500 square feet. It allows for indoor-outdoor living, with open balconies throughout to enjoy California's balmy climate.
It also has Hollywood-glam touches like a waterfall wall, a movie theater, and a glass-enclosed gym.
The third level is a prime entertaining space, complete with a barbecue island, a fire pit, a lounge area, and a hot tub.
Lacob does have a history of good bets. In 2010, he and other investors purchased the Golden State Warriors for $450 million. In July, the New York Post estimated the franchise's value to be $5.4 billion.
Lacob, a former venture capital investor, is worth $2.1 billion as of January, according to Forbes.
Hyatt Hotels heir Tony Pritzker is selling his enormous Los Angeles home after a bitter divorce.
The Pritzker Estate was listed for sale in October 2024.
Anthony Barcelo
Tony Pritzker, chairman and CEO of Pritzker Private Capital, built one of the country's largest and most luxurious homes.
Pritzker and his former wife Jeanne spent six years constructing a 50,000-square-foot megamansion in the hills of Beverly Crest, an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles' Westside.
After their contentious divorce earlier this year, the home landed on the market in October for a staggering $195 million.
The estate has 16 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms over six acres. Amenities include a tennis court, a basketball court, a cliffside pool, a detached guest house, a bowling alley, and a private movie theater. The house's perch also offers stunning 180-degree views of the Los Angeles skyline.
The Wall Street Journal reported that if the Pritzker estate sells for its asking price of $195 million, it will set a record for the most expensive home sold in Los Angeles. This record is currently held by Jeff Bezos, who spent $165 million on the Warner Estate, located 1.4 miles away, in 2020.
According to Forbes, Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, has a net worth of $4.1 billion as of January.
Laptops are evolving fast, with some new models harnessing AI-powered features that adapt to your usage and improve performance in real time. These AI PCs can optimize battery life, manage power across tasks and even enhance webcam quality during video calls. While AI integration is still relatively new in laptops, it’s a feature to watch if you’re considering future-proofing your setup. Plus, it’s exciting to see how these AI-powered PCs might handle everything from productivity to entertainment, offering smart adjustments and enhancements that could make our digital lives a bit easier.
Out of all of the notebooks we've tested and reviewed recently, we consider Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air M3 to be the best laptop for most people, and this is still the case for our top picks to start off the new year. It's powerful enough to handle most tasks (even light video editing); it has a great screen and built-in speakers; and its battery could last around 20 hours (depending on what you're doing, of course). The MacBook Air M3 is also one of the lightest and thinnest systems we've reviewed, and it's dead silent, thanks to a fanless design. While Apple has debuted its new M4 chip in the recent iPad Pro, we may not see it in the MacBook Air until next year. For now, the MacBook Air M3 is still an excellent laptop to buy, particularly if you need a machine with good battery life.
Of course, not everyone wants a MacBook, and there are excellent Windows laptops and Chromebooks out there, too. Windows systems offer a range of configurations, from budget to high-end UHD screens with stunning IPS panels that boast high nits for vivid brightness. Chromebooks, on the other hand, tend to be more affordable and are great for users who mostly work online. Whether you need a powerhouse for creative work, a compact system for note-taking, or a laptop that can handle family movie night, there’s something for everyone in today’s laptop market.
Engadget has been reviewing laptops for two decades, and while the definition of what a portable PC is has changed considerably since, our obsession with testing their limits and serving up informative buying advice remains the same. Be it a hybrid tablet like Microsoft's Surface machines, a rotating 2-in-1 convertible like HP's Spectre x360s or a plain old clamshell notebook, our review process follows similar beats. How does it look and feel? How fast is it? Whether it’s a Windows device powered by an Intel Core i5 or higher, a MacBook or a Chromebook, we aim to answer the most important question: Is it actually worth your hard-earned cash? We also pay close attention to portability, webcam quality and display features, including IPS panels and nits of brightness, as they can make a big difference in daily use.
You can expect to spend between $1,000 and $1,800 for a new laptop these days, depending on the configuration. If you're looking for more of a workhorse, that could cost you well over $2,000 for additional RAM, storage, as well as a beefier graphics card and CPU. But you can also find some affordable laptops under $1,000 if you're willing to overlook build quality (or buy a refurbished or previous generation machine, which we highly recommend). Systems with AMD chips tend to come in cheaper than their Intel counterparts, but the bulk of their cost will come down to other components like RAM and storage.
I’ve included our favorite affordable model in this best laptop buying guide, but we have a list of the best budget laptops that you can check out as well.
Operating system: Apple, Windows or Chrome OS
There's a good chance you've already committed to an operating system, but my advice is to be as flexible as possible. These days, most major software is compatible with both Macs and PCs. (Of course, it's another story if you've become dependent on an Apple-only app like Final Cut Pro.) Web-based apps, naturally, will work on any platform with an internet browser.
If you're an Apple-loyalist, there aren't many reasons to consider Windows laptops (unless you want a secondary gaming machine). But for Windows users, macOS is becoming more tempting every year. Apple's MacBooks, powered by its M-series Silicon chips, are among the fastest and most efficient laptops we've ever seen. They're incredibly well-built and have outstanding battery life to boot. MacOS itself is also an easy platform to learn, especially if you're used to iOS and iPadOS.
That brings up another point: iPhone users may want to consider Macs because of the seamless integration with Apple's other platforms. You can't respond to iMessage conversations easily or hop into FaceTime chats on Windows PCs, but doing so is simple on Macs. (Microsoft's Phone Link app lets you send iOS users individual texts, but not media or group chats.) Android users, meanwhile, may be better off with Windows, as Phone Link can make calls, synchronize all your texts and also access your phone's photos.
If cloud gaming is your priority, Windows laptops with NVIDIA’s GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming compatibility may offer more flexibility and decent performance, especially when paired with fast internet speeds. Chromebooks also make a compelling case here as an affordable, lightweight solution for casual cloud gaming sessions.
As for whether you’ll want a PC with a dedicated Copilot AI button on the keyboard, that depends on how often you see yourself using Microsoft’s generative tools. Given we’re only just seeing the first slate of AI PCs, it would be wiser to wait out the hype and see what improvements might come over time.
And what about ChromeOS? Chromebooks are a smart and (typically) inexpensive way to do things like web browsing and hopping on a few video chats, but for most, they're not the best choice as a primary computer. There aren't many apps or games that work offline, and they also don't work with powerful software suites like Adobe's (you can use the stripped-down Adobe Express and Photoshop online tools, though).
Chromebooks are great secondary machines to use alongside a more powerful Mac or PC, and they're popular in schools because they're cheap and easy for IT workers to manage. And if all you need is web browsing access, or a notebook for a kid, a Chromebook might be enough.
If, for some reason, you’re looking for a powerful ChromeOS system, there are also Chromebook Plus models to consider. These machines sport faster processors and more RAM than typical Google notebooks, and they can also tap into a few of the company’s online AI features, like AI image generation and photo processing.
Ports and connectivity
These days, most laptops ship with a few USB-C ports, which can handle both charging and speedy data transfers. Apple's MacBooks also include a separate connection for MagSafe power, and you'll find custom power connections on some PCs like Microsoft's Surface. Older USB Type-A connections are less common now, but they still pop up in systems like HP's Spectre x360 14, as well as many models from ASUS.
For gamers or creators who rely on discrete graphics, ensuring your laptop has the right ports for external monitors or GPUs is crucial. DisplayPort or HDMI connections can also ensure you’re ready for dual- or multi-screen setups for more immersive experiences.
If you're a fan of wired headphones, it's worth keeping a close eye on headphone jack availability. Many lightweight laptops, like Dell's XPS 13, don’t have the 3.5mm socket entirely. They usually include a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, but that's a clunky solution, and it also takes up a USB port. Sure, most people use wireless earbuds and cans today, but it's still helpful to have a wired one around for when those devices run out of juice.
Most laptops today offer Wi-Fi 6 or 6E and Bluetooth 5.0 or later, which should mean faster and more stable connections if you have compatible routers and devices. While Wi-Fi 7 routers have started appearing, that spec hasn't made its way into laptops yet. As for cellular coverage, there are notebooks like the Surface Pro 9 and Samsung Galaxy Book models that offer integrated 5G. But from our testing, that feature may not be worth the cost of a separate data plan. Instead, you could tether to your smartphone or invest in a wireless hotspot that can keep multiple devices online.
Laptop size and weight
So how portable do you want your laptop to be? That's the ultimate question you need to ask when choosing between various screen sizes. 13-inch machines have become a solid starting point for most shoppers — it's enough real estate for the majority of tasks like emailing and writing, and it also helps keep machines relatively light (typically between two to three pounds). Thanks to manufacturing advancements, these dainty machines sometimes even come with larger screens (the smaller MacBook Air actually has a 13.6-inch display).
If you have trouble seeing fine text, we’d recommend going for a display larger than 13 inches. ASUS’s Zephyrus G14 is a solid 14-inch option for gamers, and we’re also seeing more productivity-focused machines aim for that size, like the XPS 14 and MacBook Pro. While 14-inch notebooks are a bit heavier than 13-inch models, coming in between three to four pounds, their screens are noticeably roomier.
For artists, or anyone else who needs a large canvas, a 15-inch laptop may make the most sense. They typically weigh between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds, but that extra heft may be worth it to fit wider video editing timelines or Photoshop windows. And, as you'd expect, you'll also pay a bit more for a 15-inch notebook compared to smaller ones (the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, while the smaller model goes for $999). PC makers are also replacing 15-inch systems with 16-inch versions, which will give you even more space to work.
You can still find laptops with 17-inch or 18-inch screens, but those are typically gaming systems or souped-up workstations. They're not meant for mere computing mortals.
Battery life
A laptop's battery life depends on several factors: The power draw from the screen and other hardware, the optimizations used to avoid unnecessary power drain, and, of course, the size of the actual battery. One of our favorite systems, the Dell XPS 13, lasted 13 hours and 15 minutes in the PCMark 10 battery benchmark. In real-world testing, I was able to use it for a day and a half without needing a recharge. The MacBook Air 13-inch, meanwhile, lasted 20 hours in our benchmark and kept running for more than two work days of my typical workflow. In general, you should expect a modern laptop to last at least eight hours.
If battery life is your absolute priority, I'd strongly suggest looking at Macs over Windows PCs. Apple's M-series chips are essentially mobile hardware, with all of the power efficiency you'd expect from something originally designed for phones. Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon chips could help Windows PCs compete with Apple’s astonishing battery life, but we’ve yet to see those in action. Chromebooks also typically get decent battery life (as long as you don’t overstuff them with power-draining tabs).
Refresh rate
A laptop's refresh rate refers to the amount of times its screen is cycled every second. Modern displays like IPS LCDs and OLEDs support 60Hz refresh rates at a minimum, but we're seeing more devices offering 120Hz, 240Hz and beyond. The higher the number, the faster the screen is refreshed, which ultimately leads to a smoother experience while mousing around or scrolling through web pages. (If you want to get a sense of what a slow refresh rate looks like, just grab an e-reader like the Kindle and try to flip between book pages.)
While high refresh rates used to be reserved for gaming laptops, nowadays we're seeing more mainstream machines like the XPS 13 offer 120Hz (or variable rates that move between 60Hz and 120Hz). If there's one knock against the MacBook Air, it's that it's still stuck at 60Hz.
CPU
If you’re buying a new laptop, you’ll want to make sure it’s powered by the latest CPUs. For Windows PCs, that includes Intel’s Core Ultra chips for thin-and-light machines or the 14th-gen HX chips for beefier systems. The Core Ultra series have NPUs for handling AI tasks, while the HX hardware does not – they’re based on Intel’s previous chip architecture, and they’re more focused on delivering raw horsepower. Intel's older 13th-gen and 12th-gen laptop chips also don't have NPUs, so keep that in mind if you're looking at used systems.
You'll also see AMD's Ryzen 8000 and 9000 chips in plenty of new systems like the ASUS Zephyrus G14 and Razer Blade 14. Those CPUs mainly target gaming laptops and high performance systems, while you'll still find AMD’s older Ryzen 7000 chips in ultraportables. AMD's main advantage is that its chips also include Radeon graphics, which are far more capable than Intel's Arc hardware (though those are getting better).
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus are also an option in Copilot+ PCs (more on those below). Since they’re based on mobile chip designs, they’re likely also more power efficient than AMD and Intel’s hardware. In the past, we’ve avoided recommending Snapdragon chips because they led to a slow and frustrating Windows experience. But Microsoft claims it’s rebuilt Windows 11 around Snapdragon’s Arm-based architecture, which should lead to far faster performance and better app compatibility.
As for Apple's laptops, you'll be choosing between the M3, M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max, each of which is progressively more powerful. Apple is also keeping its older M2 chip around for the MacBook Air, which is still a solid performer for the price.
GPU
A GPU, or graphics processing unit, is the component that communicates directly with a laptop's display. Laptop CPUs all have some form of integrated GPU: Intel has either its standard graphics or beefier Arc hardware, while AMD's chips include fast Radeon mobile graphics. If you want to play demanding games at high speeds (measured in frames per second, or fps), or if you need some extra power for rendering video or 3D models, you can configure a laptop with a dedicated GPU like NVIDIA's RTX 40-series hardware or AMD's Radeon RX 7000. Just be sure to leave room in your budget if you want a powerful GPU, as they typically add $300 or more to the cost of a laptop.
Apple's M-series chips, meanwhile, have GPU cores that can perform as well as NVIDIA’s and AMD's lower-end dedicated GPUs. That's quite the accomplishment for systems like this (especially the MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Pro), and it's another reason we highly recommend Apple's notebooks.
AI PCs, NPUs and Copilot+
Simply put, an AI PC is a computer equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU), which is designed to handle AI-related tasks. Much like how GPUs tackle heavy-duty gaming and rendering workloads, NPUs are designed to handle the complex math necessary for AI workloads. They’re also far more power efficient than CPUs or GPUs, which could lead to better battery performance in laptops. While many factors go into NPU performance, for the most part we measure their potential speed by TOPS (tera operations per second).
We were primed for AI PCs based on the chips Intel and AMD announced in 2023. Intel unveiled its "Core Ultra" CPUs in December, its first to include an NPU for AI work. AMD also announced its Ryzen 8040 AI mobile chips that month (and it couldn't help but say they were faster than Intel's new hardware). But in May, Microsoft announced its Copilot+ initiative, which is pushing major PC makers to deliver premium AI PCs with specifications including 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSDs and NPUs with at least 40 TOPS of AI performance.
Copilot+ is more than just a marketing term: Microsoft is also launching AI-powered features in Windows 11 that take advantage of powerful NPUs. That includes Recall, which can help you locate anything you’ve done on your PC (whenever it finally launches), as well as Cocreator in Paint, which can generate AI images based on text prompts and doodles.
If you buy an AI PC that isn’t Copilot+ certified, you’ll still be able to use some features like Windows Studio Effects, which can blur your background in video calls or keep you in frame. Developers like Adobe and Audacity are also building features into their apps that can take advantage of NPUs.
At the time of this post, Chromebook Plus notebooks can also access a few of Google’s online AI features, like image generation and photo processing.
This Apple laptop is just a larger version of the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air. It's still quite portable at 3.3 pounds, and some will appreciating having just a tad more screen real estate all the time. Configuration options are the same as well; you can spec out the 15-inch Air with up to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. But considering it starts off $200 more than the smaller model, it's primarily best for those who absolutely need a larger screen and are willing to pay for it.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED
Aside from its lovely OLED screen, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED doesn't stand out from the crowded laptop field in any way. It just looks dull and boring, especially compared to the strikingly beautiful ASUS Zephyrus G14, which also came out this year. While you can probably find the Zenbook 14 for a decent price, I'd recommend holding out for something with a bit more personality (and with a less wobbly screen hinge).
Razer Blade 14
The Razer Blade has almost everything you'd want in a 14-inch gaming notebook, but it's far pricier than the Zephyrus G14 on this list, and it doesn’t even have an SD card reader. It would be a solid competitor once its price falls a bit, and it's certainly a great option if you just have to have a jet-black laptop.
Framework Laptop 16
Framework gave its modularity magic to the Laptop 16, delivering a gaming notebook where almost every single component is user replaceable. But you'll have to pay a pretty penny to snag it with upgraded hardware, and its optional Radeon 7700S GPU was surprisingly slow.
Alienware m16 R2
The Alienware m16 r2 has been revamped with a slimmer case, but it’s otherwise a fairly typical gaming laptop. It’s a solid option for Alienware fans, but you’ll find better hardware and deals elsewhere.
ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024)
The Zenbook Duo is a fascinating dual-screened notebook, and according to my colleague Sam Rutherford it’s the first of its kind that’s worth buying. But its unique hardware isn’t really meant for mainstream consumers, and Windows 11 still doesn’t support multi-screen setups well enough to make full use of the Zenbook Duo’s ample canvas.
Dell XPS 16
Dell’s XPS 16 is big and beautiful, but it’s far too expensive compared to the competition. Plus, it uses a capacitive row of function keys that you basically can’t see under bright light and has too few ports for a machine of this size.
What is the average battery life of a laptop per charge?
It’s hard to come up with an average battery life for laptops, since that will ultimately depend on what you’re doing with them. An ultraportable like the MacBook Air that sips power can last around 20 hours in our battery benchmark, and around two full work days of real-world usage. But a gaming laptop may last only a few hours if you’re actively playing something while on battery. At this point, Macs are delivering far better battery life than PCs, thanks to Apple’s Silicon chips, but Microsoft claims Copilot+ systems with Qualcomm chips will also get over 20 hours of batter life.
How much RAM do I really need?
The more RAM you have, the more things your computer can do simultaneously. For that reason, we recommend buying PCs and Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. That gives you enough memory to have several applications open at once, as well as web browsers filled with RAM-hogging tabs. Many PC games also require at least 16GB of RAM. While you could use a system with 8GB of RAM for basic tasks, you’ll quickly run into slowdowns and error messages as your apps stack up. Many laptops, especially ultraportables, don’t let you upgrade RAM, too – so you’ll have to buy an entirely new computer if you didn’t equip enough memory at the start.
If you’re a hardcore gamer, programmer or planning to render videos or 3D models, then you may want to go for 32GB of RAM or more. And if you just need a secondary laptop for lighter work – perhaps a no-frills system for writing – then you can probably get by with 8GB. Just be sure to keep those browser tabs in check.
What is the best storage capacity for a laptop?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to laptop storage. You’ll typically find configurations between 256GB and 1TB SSDs (solid state drives) on most laptops, and I’d recommend most people get at least 512GB. That’ll be enough space for large apps, music and video files without stressing your system too much. If you’re a media hoarder, or want to play a ton of games, then it’s definitely worth getting a 1TB SSD.
If you’ll mainly be streaming your shows and music, and would rather invest in RAM or other hardware, then 256GB of storage would be serviceable. I’d recommend staying away from any machine with 128GB of storage though. Most of that will be taken up by the operating system, and you’ll likely run into issues cramming in large apps after a few months.
We recommend springing for extra built-in storage or investing in a portable SSD for backing up your most important files. It's also worth noting that Chromebooks tend to come with less built-in storage — 32GB, 64GB or 128GB — since ChromeOS encourages users to save their files in the cloud rather than on the device. In that case, 128GB is plenty.
What's a good price range for a decent laptop in 2025?
You can expect to spend between $1,000 and $1,800 for a typical 13-inch laptop today. As I explained above, you'll pay more if you want to stuff in more RAM or better GPU hardware. But you can also find deals below $1,000 if you look for refurbished or older-generation models.
What’s the difference between macOS and Windows? Which is better?
Simply put, macOS is the operating system in all of Apple's notebooks and desktops, while Windows powers the vast majority of PCs. You'll also find Chromebooks running Google's ChromeOS, but those are basically just web browsers running on top of Linux.
Debating the differences between Windows and Macs is something PC nerds have been doing since the '80s, so we won't be declaring a winner here. There are some small, negligible distinctions, like using a Command versus a Control key, how file explorers work and concerns about viruses and security. For the most part, those are minor issues or have become moot thanks to better built-in security.
But if you care more about playing the newest games, you'll want to have a Windows system. If you're more focused on creative apps, like Photoshop, Premiere and Final Cut Pro, then macOS may be a better fit (especially if you're running an iPhone).
What are the best laptop brands?
There is no single "best" laptop brand, but judging from this guide alone, we're generally impressed by notebooks from Apple, Dell and ASUS. They all offer fast, reliable and sturdy machines. HP also makes some eye-catching devices if you want an option that’s the most aesthetic. Those four brands, along with Lenovo and Acer, dominate laptop sales worldwide. We'd avoid systems from any retail store brands, or companies that don't have a major presence in the US.
Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies.
NurPhoto/Getty
In 2024, companies were seizing the AI opportunity and calling workers back to the office.
Few big businesses embodied those trends more than PC maker and cloud storage provider Dell.
BI spoke to the company and analysts about some of Dell's biggest developments over the year.
Dell made its name in the 1990s as the trusty brand for office PCs.
It has since evolved into a major server vendor and data storage provider, but outside tech circles, the company has mostly retained its original reputation.
In the last year, Dell's 40th as a business, it's become clear that another transformation is underway at the Texas-based company, one that positions it as a key player in the AI game.
The company has also embodied another major business trend of the year — the RTO movement.
Business Insider spoke to the company and tech analysts about some of Dell's biggest developments over the year.
The company rolled out AI across its internal operating model in the summer. It has also made it its mission to help all enterprises do the same.
"Our purpose really is to accelerate the adoption of AI by our customer," Vivek Mohindra, Dell's senior vice president of corporate strategy, told BI.
Bob O'Donnell, president and chief analyst at Technalysis Research, said Dell has been "aggressive" in bringing all the infrastructure and services needed for AI adoption to market.
Dell's product suite, which it refers to as the Dell AI Factory, now includes AI PCs, GPU-enabled servers, storage offerings, networking solutions, and advisory services.
Mohindra said Dell's lineup of PowerEdge servers has doubled this year from five to 10; six are air-cooled, and four are direct liquid-cooled.
They are exactly the kind of energy-efficient, high-density systems that companies require to run their own models on-premises. If Dell's servers can power heavy AI workloads, then its data and cloud-based offering can help streamline and scale data workflows.
Patrick Moorhead and Michael Dell at the SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals in March 2024.
Errich Petersen/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images
The nuanced offering has helped Dell capture the market of very large customers or "tier-2 CSPs."
Think the likes of Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Pfizer, or Vultr, explained Patrick Moorhead, CEO and chief analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
Moorhead, who has been following Dell for 14 years, said the company had done even better than he expected this year. It is taking advantage of the surge in companies wanting to run their own models and store data on-premises. It has succeeded in optimizing its offering by adding deployment services on top of great engineering, he added.
"It's a clever strategy and it's something that I didn't necessarily expect to see so much success so quickly," said Moorhead. "They're pulling it all together and making it a reality for enterprises."
Dell is also partnering with Silicon Valley's biggest names. It already works closely with Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Intel. In June, it announced that it was providing hardware to power the supercomputer being built by Elon Musk's company, xAI.
In November, Dell and Meta joined forces to provide on-premises AI infrastructure using Llama 2 AI models and Dell hardware.
These partnerships show how much Dell is extending its reach and make a statement that there is opportunity at the company, said O'Donnell.
"The fact that they're able to meet the requirements and demands of somebody like a Meta is a great sign."
Dell and Nvidia-powered quality control technology is monitoring a conveyor belt in April 2024.
Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The success of this AI strategy was evident in Dell's most recent quarterly earnings.
Revenue from the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) — which includes AI servers, storage, and other network capabilities — jumped to a record $11.4 billion for the third quarter, a 34% increase on the previous year.
Specifically, servers and networking revenue was up 58% year over year. The company's shares have now soared from below $34 in September 2022 to around $117 in late December 2024, giving it a market capitalization of around $82 billion.
Nobody out there is indestructible, said Moorhead, but Dell's broad offering, strong supply chain, and scalability have set it up for continued success.
"They're one of the few companies in the world that sells all of those pieces. So I think they've positioned themselves pretty well," he said.
Mohindra is just as positive: "As I tell my teams, buckle up because next year, the change is going to be even more accelerated than this year."
RTO
As it rolled out products for the AI future, Dell was also making some big internal changes.
In August, the company implemented a major restructuring of business operations, including a round of layoffs. Dell also pushed a steady RTO policy throughout the year, which was connected to AI.
"As we enter a new AI world, in-person human interaction will be more important than ever," an internal memo sent by executives in September stated.
The policy blocked some workers from promotions and saw workers tracked for their attendance. For more than a decade, Dell had allowed some staff to work remotely leaving many of its employees frustrated by the changes.
BI obtained data on the workforce that showed close to 50% of Dell's full-time workers in the US opted to stay remote.
Dell's HQ in Round Rock, Texas, where employees have been asked to return to this year.
Brandon Bell / Getty
In September, another RTO policy called sales staff back to the office full time. "It became clear to us that there are huge benefits for sales to be together in terms of learning from each other, training, and mentorship," Mohindra told BI.
Several employees told BI that they had heard unofficially from managers that the five-day order would be extended to other departments in 2025. When asked if that was true, Mohindra said Dell is "a continuously learning organization."
Dell was more vocal than most of its competitors about RTO, said O'Donnell and Moorhead, but both analysts did not believe it would have a major impact on the company.
"It doesn't seem like their policies are radically different than what a fair number of tech companies are starting to do," said O'Donnell. "It's not like I think Dell's going to lose a whole bunch of people to HP or Lenovo."
"I think it will be a good thing for growth," said Moorhead, "especially product development."
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (left), Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates (middle), and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett (right).
AP Images, AP Images, Reuters
The world's wealthiest people have shuffled their ranks and seen their fortunes surge since 2000.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, and Steve Ballmer held top-20 spots then and still do.
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg didn't rank in the top 20 less than 25 years ago.
Compare the wealthiest people on the planet today to a quarter-century ago, and it's striking to see how the fortunes have grown, and most of the names have changed.
Bill Gates topped Forbes' rundown of the world's richest people in 2000, the earliest list accessible using the Wayback Machine. The Microsoft cofounder's net worth has grown from $60 billion then to $105 billion at Tuesday's close — good for 15th place in the real-time rankings.
Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, Walmart heir Rob Walton, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and LVMH founder and CEO Bernard Arnault also made the top 20 then and still do today.
Forbes Billionaires List for 2000
Forbes; Wayback Machine
But retaining a top 20 spot has required them to grow dramatically more wealthy since 2000. For example, Ellison's net worth has more than quadrupled from $47 billion to $217 billion.
Buffett's fortune has grown more than five-fold from about $26 billion to $143 billion, despite the investor gifting over half of his Berkshire shares to good causes since 2006.
Walton and Dell's fortunes have more than quintupled in size from roughly $20 billion to well above $100 billion.
Ballmer and Arnault have notched even larger gains, with their net worths growing from about $16 billion and $13 billion each to $128 billion and $168 billion, respectively.
Meanwhile, SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son's wealth has only grown from about $19 billion to $30 billion, dropping him from eighth place to 59th.
Several other people have fallen out of the top 10. They include Gates' late cofounder, Paul Allen; Theo and Karl Albrecht, the brothers who cofounded supermarket giant Aldi; Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia; and newspaper tycoon Kenneth Thompson.
On the other hand, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta cofounder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang now rank in the top 10.
While a $20 billion fortune would have landed someone firmly in the top 10 in 2000, a net worth of that magnitude barely cracks the top 100 nowadays.
The top 10 wealthiest individuals were worth a combined $275 billion in 2000, or about one-seventh of their $2 trillion in total wealth at Tuesday's close. The 20 richest people were worth $406 billion then, a fraction of the $3 trillion they're worth today.
Musk alone is worth $454 billion today, exceeding the combined wealth of the top 20 in 2000.
The consistency between the two lists shows how companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Berkshire Hathaway, Dell, and Walmart have gained value over the course of decades, enabling their largest shareholders to retain their top 10 spots almost a quarter-century later.
But it also underscores how businesses like Amazon, Alphabet, Tesla, Meta, and Nvidia have skyrocketed in value and propelled their biggest backers into top 10 positions.
While there remain regular laptops and gaming laptops, the line that separates them has nearly disappeared. Today, if you have a fast CPU and graphics card, along with perks like a big screen and a good cooling system, you can play a decent number of games on your laptop. Besides, not everyone wants a big, garish gaming rig, nor does everyone want to spend the money required to get one of those. If you’re considering a new laptop for school, there are more options now than ever before that can both get you through your most challenging studies and keep up with your next AAA play through. These are our top picks for the best laptops for gaming and schoolwork — but if you’re looking for a dedicated gaming laptop rather than an all-in-one machine, check out our best gaming laptops list for our recommendations.
Best laptops for gaming and school in 2025
Are gaming laptops good for school?
As we’ve mentioned, gaming laptops are especially helpful if you're doing any demanding work. Their big promise is powerful graphics performance, which isn't just limited to PC gaming. Video editing and 3D rendering programs can also tap into their GPUs to handle laborious tasks. While you can find decent GPUs on some productivity machines, like Dell's XPS 15, you can sometimes find better deals on gaming laptops. My general advice for any new workhorse: Pay attention to the specs; get at least 16GB of RAM and the largest solid state drive you can find (ideally 1TB or more). Those components are both typically hard to upgrade down the line, so it’s worth investing what you can up front to get the most out of your PC gaming experience long term. Also, don’t forget the basics like a webcam, which will likely be necessary for the schoolwork portion of your activities.
The one big downside to choosing a gaming notebook is portability. For the most part, we'd recommend 15-inch models to get the best balance of size and price. Those typically weigh in around 4.5 pounds, which is significantly more than a three-pound ultraportable. Today's gaming notebooks are still far lighter than older models, though, so at least you won't be lugging around a 10-pound brick. If you’re looking for something lighter, there are plenty of 14-inch options these days. And if you're not into LED lights and other gamer-centric bling, keep an eye out for more understated models that still feature essentials like a webcam (or make sure you know how to turn those lights off).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-laptops-for-gaming-and-school-132207352.html?src=rss
Michael Dell dropped out of college after starting his computer company.
John Locher/AP
Michael Dell is one of the world's wealthiest people, with a net worth of more than $100 billion.
The Dell Technologies founder made his fortune by democratizing the PC and striking shrewd deals.
Here's a look at his background, career, and how he spends his fortune.
Michael Dell, the tech entrepreneur who helped bring the personal computer to the masses, ranks among the world's wealthiest people with a net worth of $122 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
From his early career as one of the youngest CEOs of a Fortune 500 company until now, Dell is used to getting his way. He was only 23 when his company had its IPO in 1988. Dell took the PC maker private in 2013 only to relist it five years later, and has now shifted the company's focus toward serving the artificial intelligence boom.
Dell lives the extravagant life of a successful business figure as well, complete with all of the private planes, summer homes, and sweet rides you'd expect from a billionaire.
Michael Dell was born on Feb. 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas.
Facebook.com/michaelsdell
Dell was fascinated with gadgets from a young age. When he was 15, he bought one of the first Apple computers and disassembled it to see if he could put it back together.
Though he was really only interested in computers, Dell entered the University of Texas at Austin as a pre-med student in 1983.
Harry Cabluck / AP Images
He spent his spare time upgrading PCs and selling them from his dorm room, making $180,000 in his first month of business. Though Dell never came back for his sophomore year, he returned to his dorm for a photo opp in 1999.
He changed the company's name to Dell Computer Corp. in 1987, and sales continued to soar.
Rebecca McEntee / AP Images
It went public in 1988, raising $30 million. Dell made about $18 million from the deal, and by 1992, the 27-year-old CEO was the youngest person to lead a Fortune 500 company.
In 1988, he went on a blind date with Susan Lieberman, a fashion designer from Dallas.
Facebook.com/michaelsdell
The two had an instant connection. "Most men I dated talked about themselves a lot and tried to impress me," Susan told Texas Monthly. "He was the nicest guy I'd ever met."
They were married in October 1989 and have four children.
In 2001, Susan Dell designed the inaugural ball gowns for Jenna and Barbara Bush.
She operated a successful boutique in Austin and even had two labels of her own before opening a new fashion brand, Phi, in New York City, which she closed in 2009.
Dell loved the resort area of Hualalai so much that in 2006, with the help of Walmart heir Rob Walton, he bought the hotel and resort through his investment company, MSD Capital
Four Seasons Hotels
Dell started MSD Capital in 1998 to manage his family's wealth. The firm has made investments in a number of companies, including IHOP and Applebee's parent company, apparel company Phillips-Van Heusen, and offshore oil drilling company Independence Contract Drilling.
Through MSD Capital, Michael Dell also invested in real estate in Hawaii, Mexico, and California.
MSD Capital
The company invests in luxury hotels, commercial and multifamily properties, and land development, and it participates in other real-estate-development funds.
Dell has his fair share of hot wheels as well.
Dave Pinter/Flickr
His car collection at one point included a 2004 Porsche Boxster, a Porsche Carrera GT, and a Hummer H2.
He's also owned private jets including a Gulfstream V.
Facebook.com/MichaelSDell
Private planes come in handy when Michael and Susan Dell travel for their nonprofit.
Since 1999, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has given billions to nonprofits and social enterprises in the US, India, and South Africa.
Dell is friends with other tech billionaires.
Michael Dell and Marc Benioff
Fitbit
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is a particular buddy. The two of them did a public Fitbit walking challenge in 2014 and Benioff's team won. But Dell is so competitive (and also a fitness fanatic), that Benioff jokingly suspected that Dell put his Fitbit on his dog to help him score more steps.
In 2004, Dell left the helm of his PC company and became chairman. But in 2007, with Dell's share of the PC market declining, he shook up management, took the reins as CEO, and never let go again. As the PC market continued to decline, he expanded into new markets through new products and acquisitions.
In 2013, the Texan won a long battle to take Dell private, fighting off legendary activist investor Carl Icahn, who wanted to stop the deal, replace the board, and fire Dell.
Two years after winning that battle, Dell announced plans to buy EMC for $67 billion.
EMC CEO Joe Tucci shaking hands with Michael Dell.
Dell
The financing of a deal this huge was complicated, and at first, skeptics thought it would fall apart, citing everything from tax complications to pushback from investors in VMware, a company EMC mostly owned.
Dell didn't lose.
Mike Nudelman/Business Insider
Instead, he catapulted his company into a much bigger one with the purchase of EMC. He became the leader of what was then the largest private company in the tech industry.
After five years as a private company, Dell went public again in late 2018 through a complex arrangement that involved buying back shares in VMware, the software business in which it held an 80% stake.
He received a huge windfall in November 2023, when Broadcom closed its $69 billion takeover of VMware.
The PC tycoon owned nearly 40% of the cloud-computing business before it was sold to the microchip giant. As a result, he received well over $20 billion in Broadcom stock and cash in exchange for his stake, filings show.
Dell stock has surged by over 300% over the past two years, as investors bet it will be a key player in the AI revolution.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Dell shares have soared from below $34 in September 2022 to around $115, valuing the company at about $79 billion.
The stock surge likely reflects the company's pivot to providing a broad suite of AI solutions to corporations, selling everything from servers and data storage to AI PCs, networking, and services.
Dell trumpeted AI's potential in an interview published this September, saying it would "accelerate and advance scientific discovery" and "make humans happier, healthier, and more successful."
"I'm incredibly excited about it," he added. "As with any new thing, there are all sorts of uncertainties and questions, including how's it all going to happen. Nobody knows, and we love being in the middle of it."
Executives at some major companies say they're sticking to hybrid work as long as workers stay productive.
Ezra Bailey
Staff at major companies have asked their leaders if there are plans to follow Amazon's full return to office.
Firms like Meta, Google, and Microsoft have a hybrid setup — however, execs say they're eyeing productivity.
Research findings on the subject are varied, and the debate will likely continue in 2025.
Executives at major companies are referencing a specific term to hedge when asked by employees if they plan to follow in Amazon's footsteps and implement a return to 5 days a week in the office.
That word? Productivity.
While Amazon has been the most high-profile example this year of a full return to office policy, set to go into effect in January, telecom giant AT&T has also elected to double down on in-person work with a similar 5-day policy, Business Insider first reported.
In the wake of Amazon's announcement, executives at both Google and Microsoft, which require employees to be in the office at least 3 days a week, have fielded questions from staff wondering if the days of hybrid work are numbered.
In October, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company had no plans to order employees back to the office, so long as employees remain productive during their at-home work days, BI previously reported.
Over at Meta, Mark Zuckerberg said last year that "early analysis of performance data,"indicated productivity increases for early-career engineers in the office at least 3 days a week. A few months later, the company announced it was requiring employees to return to the office 3 days a week.
Though Amazon did not explicitly name productivity as a reason for its full return to the office, CEO Andy Jassy emphasized a similar term: effectiveness.
Being back in person 5 days a week makes it "easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another," he wrote at the time.
For those committing to a full return to office, preparing campuses for the influx of employees in the new year is its own challenge. Amazon has since delayed the announced January 2 effective date of the new mandate for some employees because it doesn't have enough office space in some locations, BI reported earlier this month.
As CEOs and company leaders keep an eye on how employees in remote or hybrid setups perform, various studies since the onset of the pandemic have attempted to measure and compare the productivity of employees who work at home and in-office. Research studies have produced conflicting results, further complicated by the matter of how best to define or measure productivity.
Goldman Sachs, which has a 5-day-in-office policy, reviewed several analyses that used different ways of evaluating changes in work-from-home productivity, from call-center workers who were randomly chosen to work from home to comparing the productivity of randomly assigned remote workers with their in-office peers.
In short, it's hard to say for sure, and executives are deciding what their long-term setup will be after a year in which some of the world's biggest companies put a renewed focus on being "lean" and "efficient."
Meanwhile, some employees have returned to commuting in (sometimes "coffee-badging" in and returning home), others have relocated to comply with a policy change, and some have resigned to pursue a hybrid or fully remote opportunity. As companies tighten their belts and conduct layoffs, other workers have taken to workplace forums to wonder if some of the RTO mandates have been a possible "quiet layoffs" tactic.
As more major global companies revisit their policies and make changes, CEOs are likely to face more questions on the topic going into the new year.
For some, the answer is simple: Stay productive and we'll stay flexible.
Michael Dell says humor is vital and workers need to laugh and play and relax sometimes.
The Dell Technologies chief said people shouldn't always listen to their parents' advice.
Dell said he goes to sleep early, works out around dawn, and enjoys Texas barbecue.
Laugh and play pranks, balance work with downtime, and don't always listen to your parents' advice, Michael Dell says.
The Dell Technologies founder and CEO shared the colorful life advice during a recent episode of the "In Good Company" podcast. Dell, 59, ranked 13th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a $115 billion fortune at Thursday's close.
The personal-computing pioneer said humor plays a key role at his company.
"If you can't laugh, joke around, play tricks on people, you're doing it wrong, right?" he said. "You have to be able to laugh at yourself."
Dell said he toiled tirelessly as a young man to build his company, which generated $88 billion of revenue last year. But he warned against overworking and burnout.
"I learned a long time ago that there's a diminishing return to the number of hours worked in any given day, " he said. "And if you're going to do something for a long time, you better find the [right mixture of] working and playing and relaxing."
"You won't find me at the nightcap," he said. "I'll be asleep."
Barbecue and bad advice
The Texan businessman also voiced his love for one of his home state's delicacies, even if he doesn't prepare it himself.
"I believe in the theory of labor specialization, so I personally am not cooking a lot of barbecue, but I'm definitely eating barbecue," he said.
Dell also offered some general advice for young people: "Experiment, take risks, fail, find difficult problems, do something valuable, don't be afraid, and, you know, be bold."
He recalled his parents encouraging him to become a doctor and urging him to set aside his passion for building computers. On the other hand, he remembered his mother telling him and his two brothers when they were little to "play nice but win," which became his company's guiding philosophy and the title of his 2021 book.
"Well, yeah, your parents aren't always right, but they're not always wrong either," he said, adding people's "mileage may vary on the parents."
Dell's shares dropped after revenue came in lower than expected.
credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images
Dell reported $24.4 billion in revenue for its third quarter — a 10% year-on-year increase.
Revenues jumped 34% in Dell's ISG division, which includes the company's AI operations.
But a lower-than-expected fourth quarter outlook drove Dell's shares down 12% in premarket trading.
Dell reported third-quarter earnings on Tuesday that showed promising growth for its AI business, but forecast lower overall revenues than expected for the end of the year.
The company's third-quarter revenue rose 10% year over year to $24.4 billion but came in slightly under the $24.67 billion expected by analysts.
Earnings per share were up from $2.06 to $2.15.
The biggest success story came from Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group, which includes sales of AI servers, storage, and other network capabilities.
ISG revenues reached a record-high $11.4 billion during the quarter, marking a 34% year-on-year increase. Within the division, server and networking revenue jumped 58% year over year to reach $7.4 billion.
"AI is a robust opportunity for us with no signs of slowing down," said Jeff Clarke, Dell's vice chairman and chief operating officer, in a press release.
"Interest in our portfolio is at an all-time high, driving record AI server orders demand of $3.6 billion in Q3 and a pipeline that grew more than 50%, with growth across all customer types."
Despite Dell's strong positioning in AI-related technologies, the company's shares were down as much as 12% in premarket trading after its final quarter revenue outlook fell below Wall Street expectations.
Analysts had forecast an outlook of $25.5 billion, but Dell put its fourth-quarter revenue expectations between $24 billion and $25 billion.
Results from Dell's client solutions group division also dampened the tech company's results.
CSG revenue, which includes computer and PC sales to consumers and enterprises, declined by 1% year over year, bringing in $12.1 billion in revenue. Commercial client revenue grew by 3%, but the consumer side of CSG fell 18% year over year in the third quarter.
Dell shares have risen 86% in 2024 as the Texas-based computer maker positions itself as a leading provider of the tools and servers used by AI developers.
The company has put AI at the forefront of its growth strategy and has partnered with Nvidia to build an AI factory for Elon Musk's xAI.
Dell shipped $2.9 billion in AI servers during the quarter, and the company said that customers had booked $3.6 billion of future AI server orders.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (right) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg lead the list of biggest wealth gainers this year.
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images
The world's 10 biggest wealth gainers have grown $790 billion richer in 2024.
Elon Musk leads the list with a $257 billion gain that has boosted his net worth to $486 billion.
Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, and Jensen Huang are all up more than $70 billion.
Ten people have grown their personal fortunes by a combined $790 billion this year — a figure larger than the market value of Walmart ($767 billion).
The biggest wealth gainers of 2024 include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos, Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The buzz around artificial intelligence, a solid outlook for the US economy, and market expectations about Donald Trump's second term in office have boosted their companies' stock prices, benefiting them as major shareholders.
Here are the 10 greatest wealth builders this year as of the market close on Tuesday, December 17.
1. Elon Musk
Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
Lisa O'Connor/AFP/Getty Images
Year-to-date wealth gain: $257 billion
Net worth: $486 billion
Source of wealth gain: Tesla and SpaceX stock
Elon Musk is the CEO of automaker Tesla and spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX. He's also the owner of X, the social network previously known as Twitter, along with Neuralink, xAI, and The Boring Company.
Musk's $257 billion wealth gain this year exceeds the total net worth of Jeff Bezos, the second-richest person on the planet. The serial entrepreneur could soon become the first individual to amass a $500 billion fortune.
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg.
Getty Images
Year-to-date wealth gain: $90.9 billion
Net worth: $219 billion
Source of wealth gain: Meta stock
Mark Zuckerberg is the cofounder and CEO of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.
Meta stock has soared 75% this year as investors wager Zuckerberg's big bets on AI and the metaverse will pay off in the years ahead. Zuckerberg has added about $90 billion to his net worth as a result, propelling him into third place on Bloomberg's rich list.
3. Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos.
Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Year-to-date wealth gain: $72.9 billion
Net worth: $250 billion
Source of wealth gain: Amazon stock
Jeff Bezos is Amazon's founder, executive chairman, and former CEO.
Amazon shares have leaped 52% this year as investors bet the online retailer can harness AI to supercharge its sales and leverage Amazon Web Services to become a key provider of cloud infrastructure to AI companies.
4. Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Year-to-date wealth gain: $70.4 billion
Net worth: $193 billion
Source of wealth gain: Oracle and Tesla stock
Larry Ellison is the cofounder, executive chairman, and chief technology officer of Oracle, one of the largest enterprise software companies.
Oracle stock has jumped 61% this year as the company has emerged as a key provider of cloud data centers for AI businesses, fueling a $70 billion increase in Ellison's net worth.
Ellison purchased more than 1.5% of Tesla prior to joining its board in December 2018, making him the electric-vehicle maker's second-largest individual shareholder after Musk. He's believed to have retained his stake, now worth upward of $20 billion, since resigning as a director in 2022.
5. Jensen Huang
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Year-to-date wealth gain: $70 billion
Net worth: $114 billion
Source of wealth gain: Nvidia stock
Jensen Huang is the founder and CEO of Nvidia, the graphics chip maker that has emerged as a critical seller of "picks and shovels" to the AI gold rush.
Nvidia's stock has surged 163% this year, making it one of the world's most valuable companies with a $3.2 trillion market value and lifting Huang's net worth by $70 billion.
6. Michael Dell
John Locher/AP
Year-to-date wealth gain: $48.9 billion
Net worth: $127 billion
Source of wealth gain: Dell Technologies stock
Michael Dell is the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, the maker of PCs, printers, and other computing equipment.
Dell shares have soared 55% this year as the company has shifted its focus toward AI-powered devices and servers.
7. Larry Page
Larry Page.
Kimberly White/Getty Images for Fortune
Year-to-date wealth gain: $47.4 billion
Net worth: $174 billion
Source of wealth gain: Alphabet stock
Larry Page cofounded Google in 1998 and was the company's CEO until 2001 and again between 2011 and 2015 after Google was restructured as a subsidiary of Alphabet.
Alphabet shares have surged 40% this year as investors wager the search-and-advertising titan can dominate AI. The stock jump has fueled a $47 billion rise in Page's net worth.
8. Jim Walton
Jim Walton, Alice Walton, and Rob Walton cheer at the annual shareholders meeting for Walmart in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Year-to-date wealth gain: $45.1 billion
Net worth: $118 billion
Source of wealth gain: Walmart stock
Jim Walton is the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton and, like his siblings, one of the retailer's largest shareholders with an 11%-plus stake.
Walmart stock has climbed 82% this year, fueled by resilient consumer spending in the face of historic inflation and soaring interest rates in recent years. The surge led to Walton amassing a $100 billion fortune for the first time in September.
9. Alice Walton
Alice Walton is one of the heirs to the Walmart fortune.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
Year-to-date wealth gain: $44.4 billion
Net worth: $114 billion
Source of wealth gain: Walmart stock
Alice Walton is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton.
She overtook L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers in August to become the world's richest woman.
10. Rob Walton
Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images
Year-to-date wealth gain: $43.8 billion
Net worth: $115 billion
Source of wealth gain: Walmart stock
Rob Walton is the eldest son of Sam Walton and an heir to the Walmart fortune.
He and his siblings owe a big chunk of their wealth to their father, who handed them each a 20% stake in the family business over 70 years ago instead of having them inherit his fortune upon his death, in turn avoiding paying billions of dollars in estate taxes.
Last year's job cuts weren't the end of layoffs. Further reductions continue in 2024.
Companies like Flagstar Bank, Meta, PwC, Tesla, Google, Microsoft, and Nike have all announced cuts.
See the list of companies reducing their worker numbers in 2024.
After a brutal year of layoffs in 2023, companies this year have continued to cut jobs across tech, media, finance, manufacturing, and retail.
Tech titans like Meta, IBM, Google, and Microsoft; finance leaders like Goldman Sachs, Citi, and BlackRock; accounting firms like PwC; entertainment behemoths like Pixar and Paramount; and corporate giants like Tesla, Dow, and Nike have all announced layoffs.
A survey in late December said nearly 40% of business leaders had expected layoffs this year, ResumeBuilder said. ResumeBuilder talked to about 900 leaders at organizations with more than 10 employees.
One major factor survey respondents cited was artificial intelligence. Around four in 10 leaders said they would conduct layoffs as they replace workers with AI. Last year, Dropbox, Google, and IBM announced job cuts related to AI.
Here are the dozens of companies with job cuts planned or already underway in 2024.
The US' biggest privately-owned company, Cargill, is cutting thousands of jobs
Cargill is cutting 5% of its workforce.
Spencer Tirey/Getty Images
Cargill, the largest privately owned company in the US, is slashing 5% of its workforce.
The company, which is the world's largest agricultural commodities trader, will lay off thousands of workers from its 164,000-strong workforce, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing an internal memo it had seen.
"To strengthen Cargill's impact, we must realign our talent and resources to align with our strategy," a Cargill spokesperson told BI.
The cuts would impact workers across all professional levels from countries in Asia, Latin America, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The layoffs will not touch its executive team but will impact its "next level senior leaders," Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
"The majority of these reductions will take place this year," Chief Executive Officer Brian Sikes said in the memo, seen by Bloomberg. "They'll focus on streamlining our organizational structure by removing layers, expanding the scope and responsibilities of our managers, and reducing duplication of work."
Microchip Tech is closing an Arizona factory
Microchip Technology is closing a factory in Arizona, which is expected to cut around 500 jobs.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Microchip Technology, a chipmaker for a variety of consumer products, on Monday said it was closing a facility in Tempe, Arizona, as it deals with slower-than-anticipated orders.
The closure is expected to affect about 500 jobs from the company's total of 22,300, Microchip said. The closure will progress in stages and end in September 2025.
"While the company has taken steps to right size inventory and reduce expenses— including temporary pay reductions and company-wide and factory shutdowns—these measures have not been enough," a spokesperson for Microchip said in a statement on Tuesday.
Microchip also updated its revenue guidance for the quarter ending in December quarter to $1.025 billion, which is at the lower end of its earlier forecast.
The company's stock fell about 3% in after-hours trading and is down 22% year-to-date.
Publishing giant Hearst Magazines trims staff.
Hearst Tower
Rob Kim/Getty Images
The owner of publications including Esquire and Cosmopolitan is conducting a round of layoffs, The Hollywood Reporter said in a November 21 report.
The exact number of positions impacted is not clear.
"After a thorough review of our business, we've decided to reallocate resources to better support our goals and continue our focus on digital innovation while strengthening our best in class print products," Hearst Magazines president Debi Chirichella told staff in a memo obtained by THR. "We will scale back in areas that do not support our core strategy and will eliminate certain positions as we reimagine our team structures to drive long-term growth."
Boeing starts issuing layoff notices to 400 workers amid plans for 10% global cut
Boeing is cutting 10% of its global workforce.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
In October, Boeing said that it would cut 10% of its 170,000-strong global workforce. The reduction plan will include 2,199 employees in Washington and another 50 in Oregon, according to the company's filings.
As part of the cuts, Boeing is laying off more than 400 workers who are part of its professional aerospace labor union. The Seattle Times reported that 438 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) received pink slips.
These included engineers, scientists, analysts, technicians, and other jobs, the outlet reported.
In a note to employees on October 11, CEO Kelly Ortberg said Boeing was in a "difficult position" and that "restoring our company requires tough decisions."
The layoffs come at a difficult time for Boeing. Its share price has fallen more than 40% since the start of the year as it grapples with the fallout from a seven-week strike and technical faults like a door plug coming off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max midflight in January.
Representatives of Boeing and the SPEEA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Exxon is cutting nearly 400 jobs after Pioneer merger
Exxon Mobil is cutting about 400 employees after Pioneer merger.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
ExxonMobil is cutting about 400 employees from Pioneer Natural Resources, the oil and gas company it acquired earlier this year.
The cuts will come in seven stages and will be completed in May 2026, Exxon said in a notice to the Texas Workforce Commission.
The cuts represent almost 20% of Pioneer's pre-merger workforce and will mostly affect employees in Pioneer's suburban Dallas offices, the notice said.
AMD is laying off roughly 4% of its workforce.
AMD is reportedly cutting roughly 4% of its global workforce, or around 1,000 employees.
Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
AMD confirmed it would be reducing its global staff, which numbered around 26,000 total employees as of December 2023.
″As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps that will unfortunately result in reducing our global workforce by approximately 4%," an AMD representative said in a statement to Business Insider. "We are committed to treating impacted employees with respect and helping them through this transition."
The cuts are reportedly targeting sales and marketing roles in areas like consumer PC and gaming PC, according to Bloomberg.
The computer chipmaker is focusing efforts on the artificial intelligence industry as it chases rival Nvidia in the GPU market. In October, AMD raised its 2024 GPU sales estimates from its initial $4.5 billion to over $5 billion.
Chegg is cutting 21% of its employees as AI search destroys its business
Chegg is letting go of 21% of its staff amid competition from ChatGPT and other AI searchers.
Pavlo Gonchar via Getty Images
Online education site Chegg is laying off staff for the second time this year as generative AI platforms obliterate its business model.
Chegg said it is cutting 319 employees, or 21% of its staff, as it faces strong competition from platforms like ChatGPT. The company slashed global headcount by 23% in June.
"The speed and scale of Google's AIO rollout and student adoption of generative AI products have negatively impacted our industry and our business," Nathan Schultz, Chegg's CEO, said in an earnings release. The company reported a loss of $212.6 million for the third quarter.
Chegg's stock has fallen nearly 85% since the start of this year.
23andMe is cutting 40% of its staff
23andMe is cutting 40% of its staff and exiting its therapeautics business.
Smith Collection/Gado
Genetic testing company 23andMe is cutting 200 employees, or 40% of its workforce, to reduce costs and refocus its business.
The Bay Area-based company is also discontinuing further development of all its therapeutics programs, it said in a mid-November statement.
Beyond Inc., the parent company of Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and Zulily, is the latest to announce layoffs.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
The parent company of Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, Zulily, and other brands revealed its decision to slash a fifth of its staff in an October SEC filing.
The workplace reduction was taken to create a more "variable, leverageable cost structure" and to help align the company with its "asset-light business that supports an affinity and data monetization model with a strong technology focus," Beyond Inc. said in the filing.
The cuts are estimated to save roughly $20 million annually in fixed costs and are expected to be "substantially implemented" in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The news came shortly after Beyond Inc. and Kirkland announced a partnership that means physical Bed Bath & Beyond stores will return in smaller-format "neighborhood" locations.
Meta added to the 20,000+ people it's laid off since 2022
The newest cuts affect employees at units including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reality Labs.
Chesnot/Getty
Meta is eliminating some roles on units including Instagram, WhatsApp, and its VR and AR division Reality Labs.
"A few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals and location strategy," a Meta spokesperson told BI on October 17. "This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles."
It's unclear how many roles will be affected, but Meta has trimmed its staff significantly in the year and a half, with more than 20,000 job cuts since 2022. CEO Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed 2023 a "year of efficiency" at the company, and continued cost-cutting measures this year as the tech giant gets flatter in structure.
TikTok is laying off employees as part of content moderation changes.
Tiktok is cutting employees in its content-moderation arm.
Illustration by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
TikTok is cutting employees in various locations as part of changes to its content-moderation strategy.
A spokesperson for the China-owned company told Reuters in October that 80% of content that violates its policy is now removed through automated technology.
The company did not provide details on the exact number of positions that it eliminated but told Reuters the cuts would affect "several hundred" employees.
PwC is cutting 1,800 employees.
PwC is laying off about 2.5% of its staff.
Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images
Big Four accounting firm PwC is cutting 1,800 workers, which is about 2.5% of its staff. The cuts will impact staffers ranging from associates to managing directors — half of them offshore. Those affected by the cuts will be informed in October.
In an emailed statement to Business Insider, Tim Grady, PwC's US chief operating officer, said, "To remain competitive and position our business for the future, we are continuing to transform areas of our firm and are aligning our workforce to better support our strategy, including attracting and moving the right talent and skill sets to the areas where we need them most. Right now, we are focused on running our business well and adapting to meet the needs of our clients and the rapidly changing market."
Nike's up-to-$2 billion cost-cutting plan will involve severances
Athletic retailer Nike will be making reductions to staffing as part of a cost-cutting initiative.
CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Nike announced its cost-cutting plans in a December 2023 earnings call, discussing a slow growth in sales. The call subsequently resulted in Nike's stock plunging.
"We are seeing indications of more cautious consumer behavior around the world," Nike Chief Financial Officer Matt Friend said in December.
Google laid off hundreds more workers in 2024
Google confirmed the layoffs to Business Insider in an email.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
On January 10, Google laid off hundreds of workers in its central engineering division and members of its hardware teams — including those working on its voice-activated assistant.
In an email to some affected employees, the company encouraged them to consider applying for open positions at Google if they want to remain employed. April 9 was the last day for those unable to secure a new position, the email said.
The tech giant laid off thousands throughout 2023, beginning with a 6% reduction of its global workforce — about 12,000 people — last January.
Discord laid off 170 employees.
Jason Citron said rapid growth was to blame for the cuts.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Discord employees learned about the layoffs in an all-hands meeting and a memo sent by CEO Jason Citron in early January.
"We grew quickly and expanded our workforce even faster, increasing by 5x since 2020," Citron said in the memo. "As a result, we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated."
In August 2023, Discord reduced its headcount by 4%. According to CNBC, the company was valued at $15 billion in 2021.
Citi will cut 20,000 from its staff as part of its corporate overhaul.
CEO Jane Fraser has been vocal about the necessity for restructuring at Citigroup.
Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images
The layoffs announced in January are part of a larger Citigroup initiative to restructure the business and could leave the company with a remaining head count of 180,000 — excluding its Mexico operations.
In an earnings call that month, the bank said that layoffs could save the company up to $2.5 billion after it suffered a "very disappointing" final quarter last year.
Amazon-owned Twitch also announced job cuts.
Twitch is cutting more than 500 positions.
NurPhoto/Getty Images
Twitch announced on January 10 that it would cut 500 jobs, affecting over a third of the employees at the live-streaming company.
CEO Dan Clancy announced the layoffs in a memo, telling staff that while the company has tried to cut costs, the operation is "meaningfully" bigger than necessary.
"As you all know, we have worked hard over the last year to run our business as sustainably as possible," Clancy wrote. "Unfortunately, we still have work to do to rightsize our company and I regret having to share that we are taking the painful step to reduce our headcount by just over 500 people across Twitch."
BlackRock is planning to cut 3% of its staff.
BlackRock expects to lay off 3% of its workforce.
Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress
Larry Fink, BlackRock's chief executive, and Rob Kapito, the firm's president, announced in January that the layoffs would affect around 600 people from its workforce of about 20,000.
However, the company has plans to expand in other areas to support growth in its overseas markets.
"As we prepare for 2024 and this very exciting but distinctly different landscape, businesses across the firm have developed plans to reallocate resources," the company leaders said in a memo.
Rent the Runway is slashing 10% of its corporate jobs as part of a restructuring.
Rent the Runway is laying off a few dozen people in its corporate workforce.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
In the fashion company's January announcement, COO and president Anushka Salinas said she will also be leaving the firm, Fast Company reported.
Unity Software is eliminating 25% of its workforce.
Unity Software plans to cut roughly 1,800 jobs.
Sutro Software
Around 1,800 jobs at the video game software company will be affected by the layoffs announced, Reuters reported in January.
eBay cut 1,000 jobs
eBay wants to become "more nimble."
ullstein bild Dtl/ Getty
In a January 23 memo, CEO Jamie Iannone told employees that the eBay layoffs will affect about 9% of the company's workforce.
Iannone told employees that layoffs were necessary as the company's "overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business."
The company also plans to scale back on contractors.
Microsoft is reportedly cutting 650 more jobs from its Xbox division
Microsoft is reportedly laying off hundreds of employees in Xbox division
SOPA Images/Getty Images
Microsoft will be laying off hundreds of employees in its Xbox gaming division, Bloomberg first reported in September.
The job cuts will mainly affect workers in corporate and support functions, the outlet reported, citing a memo sent by Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer.
However, he reportedly added that the company is not planning to close any studios or remove any games or devices.
This comes after the company also slashed 1,900 workers at Activision, Xbox, and ZeniMax in late January.
Nearly three months after Microsoft acquired video game firm Activision Blizzard, the company announced layoffs in its gaming divisions. The layoffs mostly affect employees at Activision Blizzard.
Xbox in May also reportedly offered some employees voluntary severance packages after shutting three units and absorbing a fourth earlier in the month.
Salesforce is cutting 700 employees across the company, The Wall Street Journal reported
Salesforce laid off about a tenth of its headcount last year.
Plexi Images/Glasshouse Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The cuts followed a wave of cuts at the cloud giant last year. In 2023, Marc Benioff's company laid off about 10% of its total workforce — or roughly 7,000 jobs. The CEO said the company over-hired during the pandemic.
iRobot is laying off around 350 employees and founder Colin Angle will step down as chairman and CEO
iRobot's executive vice president and chief legal officer Glen Weinstein has been appointed interim CEO upon Angle's exit from the company.
Kimberly White/Getty Images
The company behind the Roomba Vacuum announced layoffs in late January around the same time Amazon decided not to go through with its proposed acquisition of the company, the Associated Press reported.
UPS will cut 12,000 jobs in 2024.
UPS CEO Carol Tomé told investors that the company will reduce its headcount by 12,000 by the end of 2024.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The UPS layoffs will affect 14% of the company's 85,000 managers and could save the company $1 billion in 2024, UPS CEO Carol Tomé said during a January earnings call.
Paypal CEO Alex Chriss announced the company would lay off 9% of its workforce.
PayPal announced layoffs at the end of January.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Announced in late January, this round of layoffs will affect about 2,500 employees at the payment processing company.
"We are doing this to right-size our business, allowing us to move with the speed needed to deliver for our customers and drive profitable growth," CEO Alex Chriss wrote in a January memo. "At the same time, we will continue to invest in areas of the business we believe will create and accelerate growth."
Okta is cutting roughly 7% of its workforce.
Okta announced a restructuring plan at the start of February.
SOPA Images/ Getty
The digital-access-management company announced its plans for a "restructuring plan intended to improve operating efficiencies and strengthen the Company's commitment to profitable growth" in an SEC filing in February.
The cuts will impact roughly 400 employees.
Okta CEO Todd McKinnon told staff in a memo that "costs are still too high," CNBC reported.
Snap has announced more layoffs.
Snap has announced another round of job cuts.
Snapchat, Tyler Le/Insider
The company behind Snapchat announced in February that it's reducing its global workforce by 10%, according to an SEC filing.
Estée Lauder said it will eliminate up to 3,100 positions.
Between 1,600 and 3,100 jobs will be eliminated from the company.
Reuters
The cosmetics company announced in February that it would be cutting 3% to 5% of its roles as part of a restructuring plan.
Estee Lauder reportedly employed about 62,000 employees around the world as of June 30, 2023.
DocuSign is eliminating roughly 6% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan.
The electronic signature company is cutting 6% of its workforce.
Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
The electronic signature company said in an SEC filing in February that most of the cuts will be in its sales and marketing divisions.
Zoom is slashing 150 jobs
Videoconferencing company Zoom laid off 1,300 people in February 2023. The following February it announced 150 layoffs.
Kena Betancur
Zoom announced 150 job losses in February, which amounted to about 2% of its workforce. It had announced it was laying off 1,300 people the previous February.
Paramount Global is laying off 800 employees days after record-breaking Super Bowl
CEO Bob Bakish sent a note informing employees of layoffs.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP
In February, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish sent a memo to employees announcing that 800 jobs — about 3% of its workforce — were being cut.
Deadline obtained the memo less than a month after reporting plans for layoffs at Paramount. The announcement comes on the heels of Super Bowl LVIII reaching record-high viewership across CBS, Paramount+, and Nickelodeon, and Univision.
Morgan Stanley is trimming its wealth management division by hundreds of staffers
The layoffs mark one of the first major moves by newly-installed CEO Ted Pick.
Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Morgan Stanley is laying off several hundred employees in its wealth-management division, the Wall Street Journal reported in February, representing roughly 1% of the team.
The wealth-management division has seen some slowdown at the start of 2024, with net new assets down by about 8% from a year ago. The layoffs mark the first major move by newly-installed CEO Ted Pick, who took the reins from James Gorman on January 1.
Expedia Group is cutting more than 8% of its workforce
Peter Kern, CEO of Expedia Group
Business Wire
An Expedia spokesperson told BI that it was implementing cutbacks, as part of an operational review, that were expected to impact 1,500 roles this year.
The company's product and technology division is set to be the worst hit, a report from GeekWire said, citing an internal memo CEO Peter Kern sent to employees in late February.
"While this review will result in the elimination of some roles, it also allows the company to invest in core strategic areas for growth," the spokesperson said.
"Consultation with local employee representatives, where applicable, will occur before making any final decisions," they added.
Sony is laying off 900 workers
The tech company is slashing 900 workers from its workforce.
NurPhoto/Getty Images
The cuts at Sony Interactive Entertainment swept through its game-making teams at PlayStation Studios.
Insomniac Games, which developed the hit Spider-Man video game series, as well as Naughty Dog, the developers behind Sony's flagship 'The Last of Us' video games' were hit by the cuts, the company announced on February 27.
All of PlayStation's London studio will be shuttered, according to the proposal.
"Delivering and sustaining social, online experiences – allowing PlayStation gamers to explore our worlds in different ways – as well as launching games on additional devices such as PC and Mobile, requires a different approach and different resources," PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst wrote.
Hulst added that some games in development will be shut down, though he didn't say which ones.
In early February, Sony said it missed its target for selling PlayStation 5 consoles. The earnings report sent shares tumbling and the company's stock lost about $10 billion in value.
Bumble slashed 30% of its workforce
Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble.
Eugene Gologursky/Stringer/Gr
On February 27, the dating app company announced that it would be reducing its staff due to "future strategic priorities" for its business, per a statement.
The cuts will impact about 30% of its about 1,200 person workforce or about 350 roles, a representative for Bumble told BI by email.
"We are taking significant and decisive actions that ensure our customers remain at the center of everything we do as we relaunch Bumble App, transform our organization and accelerate our product roadmap," Bumble Inc CEO Lidiane Jones said in a statement.
Electronic Arts reduced its workforce by 5%
Electronic Arts is cutting hundreds of jobs.
Getty Images
Electronic Arts is laying off about 670 workers, equating to 5% of its workforce, Bloomberg reported in late February.
The gaming firm axed two mobile games earlier in February, which it described as a difficult decision in a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz.
CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told employees in a memo that it would be "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry."
Wilson also said in the memo that the cuts came as a result of shifting customer needs and a refocusing of the company, Bloomberg reported.
IBM cut staff in marketing and communications
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said last year that he could easily see 30% of the company's staff getting replaced by AI and automation over the coming five years.
Sajjad Hussain/Getty Images
IBM's chief communications officer Jonathan Adashek told employees on March 12 that it would be cutting staff, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
An IBM spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement that the cuts follow a broader workforce action the company announced during its earnings call in January.
"In 4Q earnings earlier this year, IBM disclosed a workforce rebalancing charge that would represent a very low single-digit percentage of IBM's global workforce, and we expect to exit 2024 at roughly the same level of employment as we entered with," they said.
IBM has also been clear about the impact of AI on its workforce. In May 2023, IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna said the company expected to pause hiring on roles that could be replaced by AI, especially in areas like human resources and other non-consumer-facing departments.
"I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," Krishna told Bloomberg at the time.
Amazon is laying off hundreds in its cloud division in yet another round of cuts this year
The cuts follow several rounds of layoffs at Amazon last year.
The reduction will impact employees on the sales and marketing team and those working on tech for its retail stores, Bloomberg reported.
"We've identified a few targeted areas of the organization we need to streamline in order to continue focusing our efforts on the key strategic areas that we believe will deliver maximum impact," an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg.
On March 26, Amazon announced another round of job cuts after the company said it was slashing 'several hundred' jobs at its Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions earlier this year to refocus on more profitable products.
"We've identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact," Mike Hopkins, SVP of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, told employees in January.
This year's cuts follow the largest staff layoff in the company's history. In 2023, the tech giant laid off 18,000 workers.
Apple has cut over 700 employees across its self-driving car, displays, and services groups
The cuts follow Apple's decision to withdraw from two major projects.
The cuts came after Apple decided to withdraw from its car and smartwatch display projects.
The tech giant filed a series of notices to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification program. One of the addresses was linked to a new display development office, while the others were for the company's EV effort, Bloomberg reported.
Apple officially shut down its decadelong EV project in February. At the time, Bloomberg reported that some employees would move to generative AI, but others would be laid off.
Bloomberg noted that the layoffs were likely an undercount of the full scope of staff cuts, as Apple had staff working on these projects in other locations.
In late August, Bloomberg reported that Apple was slashing 100 jobs in its services group, citing people familiar with the matter.
The layoffs mainly involved people working on the Apple Books app and the Apple Bookstore, Bloomberg reported. Cuts were also made to other service teams like Apple News, the outlet added.
Representatives for Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside normal business hours.
Tesla laid off over 10% of its workforce
Impacted employees were notified that they were being terminated, effective immediately.
JOHN THYS / Getty
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent a memo to employees on April 14, at nearly midnight in California, informing them of the company's plan to cut over 10% of its global workforce.
In his companywide memo, Musk cited "duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas" as the reason behind the reductions.
An email sent to terminated employees, obtained by BI, read: "Effective now, you will not need to perform any further work and therefore will no longer have access to Tesla systems and physical locations."
On April 29, Musk reportedly sent an email stating the need for more layoffs at Tesla. He also announced the departure of two executives and said that their reports would also be let go. Six known Tesla executives have left the company since layoffs began in April.
Grand Theft Auto 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive is reducing its workforce by 5%
Take-Two Interactive is slated to cut around 600 roles this year.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, said on April 16 that it would be "eliminating several projects" and reducing its workforce by about 5%.
The move — a part of its larger "cost reduction program" — will cost the video game publisher up to $200 million. It's expected to be completed by December 31.
As of March 2023, the company said it employed approximately 11,580 full-time workers.
Peloton announced it was reducing its staff by 15% as the CEO stepped down
Barry McCarthy served as the CEO of Peloton for just over two years.
Getty/Ilya S. Savenok
Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy is stepping down, the company announced May 2. Along with his departure, the fitness company is also laying off about 400 workers.
McCarthy is leaving his role just two years after replacing John Foley as CEO and president in 2022. Peloton said the changes are expected to reduce annual expenses by over $200 million by the end of fiscal 2025 as part of a larger restructuring plan.
Indeed is cutting 1,000 workers after laying off 2,200 in 2023
Indeed draws more than 250 million people from around the world each month, making it the largest job site.
CEO Chris Hyams took responsibility for "how we got here" in a memo in May but said the company is not yet set up for growth after last year's global hiring slowdown caused multiple quarters of declining sales.
Hyams said the latest cuts will be more concentrated in the US and primarily affect R&D and Go-to-Market teams. It comes after last year's across-the-board reduction of 2,200 workers.
Walmart is axing hundreds of corporate jobs
A Walmart storefront in the US.
Kena Betancur/VIEWpress via Getty Images
Retail giant Walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and asking remote employees to come to work, The Wall Street Journal reported in May, citing people familiar with the matter.
Workers in smaller offices, such as those in Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto, are also being asked to move to central locations like Walmart's corporate headquarters in Arkansas or those in New Jersey or California, the Journal reported.
Under Armour is slashing an unspecified number of jobs, incurring $22 million in severance costs
An Under Armour retail store.
Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Under Armour confirmed it was conducting layoffs in its quarterly earnings report, which was released May 16.
The company said it will pay out employee severance and benefits expenses of roughly $15 million in cash-related and $7 million in non-cash charges this year related to a restructuring plan, with close to half of that occurring in the current fiscal quarter.
"This is not where I envisaged Under Armour playing at this point in our journey," CEO Kevin Plank told investors on the company's full-year earnings call. "That said, we'll use this turbulence to reconstitute our brand and business, giving athletes, retail customers and shareholders bigger and better reasons to care about and believe in Under Armour's potential."
Pixar cuts about 175 people in pivot back to feature films
"Inside Out," a 2015 film, is one of Pixar's many hits.
Disney/Pixar
Disney's Pixar Animation Studios is cutting 175 people, about 14% of its staff, Reuters reported.
The cuts started on May 21 as the studio returns to its focus on feature-length movies. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was axed in 2022, had increased staff across studios to create more content for the company's streaming service, Disney+.
Pixar cut 75 jobs last year, Reuters previously reported, part of a larger restructuring across Disney.
Lucid Motors is slashing around 400 jobs
Lucid Motors will cut about 6% of its workforce.
John Keeble/Getty Images
In a regulatory filing, Lucid Motors said it would lay off about 400 employees as part of a restructuring plan that should be complete by the end of the third quarter.
"I'm confident Lucid will deliver the world's best SUV and dramatically expand our total addressable market, but we aren't generating revenue from the program yet," CEO Peter Rawlinson said in an email to employees obtained by TechCrunch.
The cuts come ahead of Lucid's launch of its first electric SUV later this year. It comes over a year after the California-based company laid off 1,300 employees, TechCrunch previously reported.
John Deere is laying off over 600 employees
John Deere tractors for sale at a dealer in Longmont, Colorado.
Rick Wilking/Reuters
John Deere, maker of the iconic green-and-yellow tractors, is laying off over 600 employees at factories in Illinois and Iowa, the AP reported July 1.
In May, John Deere said sales fell for the third consecutive quarter and projected that the declines would continue in the second half of its fiscal year.
Burberry is expected to cut 100s of jobs
Burberry is reportedly cutting hundreds of roles.
Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images
London-based luxury retailer Burberry is expected to cut hundreds of jobs in the coming weeks, the Telegraph reported July 6.
Employees learned about the cuts in late June when they were told in a Zoom meeting that their roles could be eliminated or that they would need to apply for other jobs, according to the Telegraph.
Intuit announced cuts on July 10
Intuit announced it would fire 1,800 employees as the company shifts focus to AI development.
Chris Helgren/Reuters
Intuit announced on July 10 that it's cutting its workforce by 10%. The layoffs will affect 1,800 employees nationwide, but the company plans to hire 1,800 new employees in "key areas" like engineering, InvestorPlace reports.
The refocus on other areas is following a shift in focus on AI within the company, according to the outlet.
Tinder and Hinge parent company is cutting about 156 jobs globally.
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, said on July 30 that it would reduce its global workforce by about 6%, or about 156 employees because it is exiting the livestreaming business.
Match said it would remove the livestreaming service from its app Plenty of Fish and sunset the Hakuna app, which focuses on Korea and Japan.
The reduction in workforce is expected to save the company $13 million in annual costs.
Disney cuts 140 jobs across its TV division
Disney Entertainment Television (DET) is eliminating roughly 2% of its workforce.
SOPA Images/Getty Images
Deadline and Bloomberg reported in July that Disney was making cuts across its TV division, to the tune of roughly 140 jobs — or 2% of the staff at Disney Entertainment Television (DET).
Layoffs will impact National Geographic, owned television stations, the marketing and publicity departments, and Freeform, per a source close to the matter, which notes no teams have been eliminated.
While Disney's cable TV business generates billions, it's on the decline, Bloomberg reports, and the company is seeking to cut costs.
Last year, Disney slashed 7,000 jobs across multiple rounds of layoffs as part of a strategy implemented by returning CEO Bob Iger.
Intel plans to eliminate thousands of jobs
Intel expected to eliminate thousands of jobs, Bloomberg reported.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Intel plans to cut thousands of jobs in response to a second-quarter earnings slump, Bloomberg reported earlier this week, citing unnamed people familiar with the move.
It was officially announced on August 1, as it posted Q2 earnings. The company intends to reduce its workforce by 15% by the end of 2024.
"Our Q2 financial performance was disappointing, even as we hit key product and process technology milestones," Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a statement. "Second-half trends are more challenging than we previously expected, and we are leveraging our new operating model to take decisive actions that will improve operating and capital efficiencies while accelerating our IDM 2.0 transformation."
Intel's stock was down following the lackluster earnings.
The layoffs come after the chip maker laid off about 5% of its workforce last year, bringing its head count down to around 124,000, Bloomberg reported.
During the last round of layoffs, announced in October 2022, Intel faced a drop in demand for processors for personal computers and estimated the layoffs would save $10 billion in costs by 2025, per Bloomberg.
Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WW International is cutting jobs in corporate
WeightWatchers is cutting down its staff.
Eugene Gologursky
Diet program creator WW International, formerly WeightWatchers, plans to lay off employees, it said in an earnings call on August 1.
The company did not specify the number of jobs it will cut. But the layoffs will largely focus on corporate positions, including a 40% cut in roles above and at the vice president level.
The cuts are expected to save the company $60 million, the company's chief financial officer said.
Dell is cutting sales jobs in new focus on AI products
A Dell Technologies office building in Round Rock, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty
Dell is cutting jobs on its sales team, Bloomberg reported. It wasn't immediately clear how many jobs Dell planned to eliminate.
In a memo announcing the cuts, company executives said that the choice was part of a restructuring to focus more on selling AI products and data center services, Bloomberg reported.
Dell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI, but a spokesman told Bloomberg: "Through a reorganization of our go-to-market teams and an ongoing series of actions, we are becoming a leaner company."
Paramount Global announced it plans to slash 15% of its US workforce
Paramount Global plans to cut 15% of its US workforce.
PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images
Paramount Global is planning to cut about 2,000 jobs ahead of its merger with Skydance Media, CNBC reported.
The company identified $500 million in cost savings as it prepared to join forces with Skydance, totalling about 15% of its US workforce, according to the outlet.
The cuts will begin in a few weeks and will mostly be finished by the end of 2024. Paramount employees in marketing and communications, finance, legal, technology, and other support functions have been targeted, the company said on an earnings call.
The cuts come about a month after Paramount agreed to merge with Skydance. Paramount shares jumped more than 5% after hours.
Stellantis is slashing white-collar and factory jobs
Stellantis is cutting 400 jobs.
Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
In August, the owner of Jeep and Dodge announced it is cutting 2,450 factory workers from its Warren Truck assembly plant outside Detroit.
The layoffs come because the company is ending production of the Ram 1500 Classic truck, Stellantis said. These factory cuts came after white-collar jobs were axed earlier this year.
On March 22, the company said it would lay off employees on its engineering, technology, and software teams in an effort to cut costs, CNBC reported.
Stellantis announced plans for another round of layoffs on July 30, according to Bloomberg. The company is offering voluntary buyouts to non-unionized US employees to "assist those interested in pursuing other career options or retirement," Stellantis said in a message seen by Bloomberg.
The job cuts, the total number of which remains unknown, come after a difficult first half of the year, with unit sales sinking by 16% in the US.
Sonos laid off about 6% of its workforce
Sonos laid off about 100 workers in August.
Courtesy of Sonos
The audio equipment company said it slashed roughly 100 jobs in August. The layoffs significantly targeted its marketing division, The Verge reported.
CEO Patrick Spence said in a statement to BI that the company is now focusing on departing employees and "ensuring they have the support they need."
"This action was a difficult, but necessary, measure to ensure continued, meaningful investment in Sonos' product roadmap while setting Sonos up for long term success," Spence said.
Sonos is also reducing some of its customer support offices and will close one in Amsterdam later this year, according to The Verge.
The company previously cut around 7% of its workforce in June 2023, a month after it announced a 24% revenue drop in the second quarter compared to the previous year.
Cisco announced two rounds of layoffs this year
The cuts comprised 5% of the networking company's workforce.
REUTERS/Mike Blake
In February, networking company Cisco announced it was slashing 5% of its workforce, upward of 4,000 jobs, Bloomberg reported.
The company said it was restructuring after an industry-wide pullback in corporate tech spending — which execs said they expect to continue through the first half of the year.
On August 14, in a filing, Cisco said it would further reduce its global workforce by 7% amid sales and revenue declines. Reuters reported earlier that the company was slashing around 4,000 jobs as it shifted attention to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Per its latest annual filing, Cisco had about 85,000 employees as of July 2023.
GoPro is laying off nearly 140 employees
GoPro will go through a second round of layoffs in 2024.
David Becker via Getty Images
Long-troubled GoPro is laying off 15% of its 925 current employees, the company said in a filing.
The action sports camera maker reported a net loss of nearly $48 million in the quarter that ended in June, adding to a streak of consecutive losses.
The company laid off 4% of its staff in March.
Shell is reportedly planning for major cuts in its oil exploration division
Shell plans for major layoffs in its oil and gas exploration division.
INA FASSBENDER/Getty Images
Oil giant Shell will slash its workforce in oil and gas exploration and development by 20%, according to an August 29 report from Reuters. Company sources reportedly cited intentions to cut costs in the highly profitable segments due to "deep cuts in renewables and low-carbon businesses."
Exploration, wells development, and subsurface units will face hundreds of layoffs globally, with offices in Houston, The Hauge, and Britain expected to take the biggest hit, the sources told Reuters.
A Shell spokesperson would not comment directly on the layoffs but told Business Insider that, "Shell aims to create more value with less emissions by focusing on performance, discipline and simplification across the business."
"That includes delivering structural operating cost reductions of $2-3 billion by the end of 2025, as announced at our Capital Markets Day event in June 2023," the spokesperson added.
Goldman Sachs plans to lay off more than 1,300 workers, The Wall Street Journal reported
Goldman Sachs has already begun cuts, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The global investment bank is set to cut hundreds of employees during annual reviews this year, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.
Goldman Sachs is targeting low performers with the intention of laying off between 3% and 4% of its global workforce, equaling somewhere between 1,300 and 1,800 people, according to the outlet.
The cuts are already underway and will continue in the coming months, one person told the outlet. Goldman typically tries to cut anywhere from 2% to 7% of employees each year, per The Journal.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop is cutting 18% of staff
Gwyneth Paltrow speaks at the In Goop Health Summit in Los Angeles in 2021. The wellness company is laying off 18% of its staff amid a strategy shift.
Rachel Murray/Getty Images for goop
Goop is cutting 18% of its 216-person staff, citing a change to its organization, WWD wrote in September. It will now focus on beauty, fashion, and food — specifically its Goop Beauty and good.clean.goop beauty brands, G.Label clothing line, and Goop Kitchen restaurants.
That means it's moving away from wellness, home, travel, and sexual wellness, some of which are categories that once defined the brand.
Samsung plans to cut jobs globally this year, Reuters reported
Samsung is planning global job cuts in 2024.
SOPA Images/Getty Images
Samsung is planning to cut jobs this year, a move that will impact workers in the US, Europe, Asia, and Africa, Reuters reported.
The electronic devices maker will cut up to 30% of staff in some divisions, the report says. It is unclear how many jobs will be impacted.
Samsung told Reuters in a statement that the workforce adjustments would not impact its production staff and that no specific targets for the cuts are in place.
Verizon is laying off 4,800 US employees
Verizon will let go of 4,800 US-based management employees by March 2025.
Kena Betancur/VIEWpress/Getty Images
Verizon is letting go of 4,800 US-based management employees in a voluntary separation program.
The company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that more than half of these employees would exit in September, while the rest will leave by the end of March 2025.
The telecommunications giant expects severance charges to cost as much as $1.9 billion before tax in the third quarter of this year.
General Motors is laying off about 1,700 employees in Kansas
General Motors is laying off about 1,700 employees at its Fairfax plant in Kansas.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
General Motors is laying off 1,695 employees at its Fairfax plant in Kansas, the company said in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice in mid-September.
The layoffs will begin in mid-November, and a second phase will continue in January, Reuters reported, citing a GM spokesperson. It is unclear which departments will be affected, but about 1,450 of these employees will be laid off temporarily, the spokesperson said.
In August, the carmaker laid off over 1,000 workers, or 1.3% of its workforce.
The August layoffs came primarily from GM's software and services business, which it had bulked up over the past few years. Last year, the company brought on two former Apple executives to run the unit.
Flexport conducts second round of layoffs in 2024
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen returned to the company in September.
Sam Barnes/Sportsfile for Collision via Getty Images
US logistics startup Flexport is laying off another 2% of its US staff this week as it aims to cut costs and reorganizes its retail delivery business.
The fulfillment center-focused cuts amount to about 40 people and were first reported by The Information, citing an internal memo.
In January, Flexport cut 15% of its staff, or around 400 people. Those cuts came after Flexport founder and CEO Ryan Petersen initiated a 20% reduction of its workforce of an estimated 2,600 employees in October 2023.
Flexport kicked off 2024 with the announcement that it raised $260 million from Shopify and made "massive progress toward returning Flexport to profitability."
NYCB's Flagstar Bank cuts 700 jobs
NYCB's Flagstar Bank is cutting 700 jobs as part of a business overhaul.
Facebook/Adobe Stock/BI
New York Community Bancorp's Flagstar Bank will cut 8% of its workforce, or 700 jobs, as it aims to revamp its business, the company's CEO, Joseph Otting, said in a statement on October 17.
An additional 1,200 employees will be laid off at the end of the quarter after the company sells its residential mortgage business.
NYCB is also changing its name to Flagstar Financial as part of the turnaround efforts after losses from its commercial real estate portfolio.
Chief, a networking group for female executives, made cuts across the company
Chief, cofounded by Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers, laid off staff.
Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch.
Chief, which has positioned itself as the nation's largest network of senior executive women, confirmed to Business Insider on October 20 that it has shed roles.
The company told BI that the cuts, which had already been announced internally, mainly impacted "our technology and administrative functions."
"Like many companies, we are balancing growth and profitability," the spokesperson added.
In a June press release, the American company said 40% of its members were C-suite executives and that they represent more than 10,000 companies.
In April 2023, Chief cut 14% of its workforce in what the founders called a "challenging economic environment," TechCrunch reported at the time.
This January, the company said it would close its London offices — opened one year previously — to refocus on the American market.
Visa will reportedly lay off around 1,400 people
Visa plans to lay off around 1,400 people by the end of the year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Visa plans to lay off around 1,400 workers this year, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 29.
In a statement provided to BI, a Visa spokesperson said the company expects to grow its workforce for the foreseeable future but that it is continuously evolving to serve clients, innovate, and grow, "which can lead to the elimination of some roles."
"When this happens, we are committed to supporting our employees," the spokesperson added.
Workers affected by layoffs included employees and contractors, with more than 1,000 in technology roles, the Journal reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation. Visa has more than 30,000 employees.
Dropbox is slashing around 20% of its global workforce
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston announced the company is laying off around 20% of its workforce.
Reuters/ Mike Blake
The cloud storage company is laying off 528 employees, targeting "over-invested or underperforming" areas, CEO Drew Houston announced in an email sent to employees.
"As CEO, I take full responsibility for this decision and the circumstances that led to it, and I'm truly sorry to those impacted by this change," Houston wrote.
The Dropbox chief cited diminishing demand and macro headwinds in the company's core business, as well as excessive management levels, as contributing factors.
The layoffs come as the company is undergoing a "transitional period" with its growing File Sync and Share (FSS) business and greater efforts on products like Dash, Dropbox's AI-powered work assistant.
KPMG plans to cut nearly 4% of its US audit workforce.
KPMG plans to lay off about 330 people in its US audit workforce.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Consulting giant KPMG informed about 330 people, or less than 4%, in its US audit workforce that they would be laid off within the next couple of weeks, a spokesperson told BI.
"The actions reflect our ongoing focus to align the size, shape and skills of our workforce to the market, while addressing continued low levels of attrition," the spokesperson said in a written statement.
This follows an earlier round of layoffs in March, as well as another one last summer, that also affected the company's audit unit, similarly due to low levels of voluntary exits, the spokesperson said.
Nissan said it will slash 9,000 jobs globally.
Nissan said it will cute 20% of its staff.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
Japanese automobile giant Nissan said during its November earnings release that it would be cutting 9,000 jobs in an attempt to save money.
The car company reported lower revenue for the period, which it attributed to higher selling and production costs. Nissan said it brought in about 32 million yen, or $208 million, at the end of the first half of the fiscal year — a steep drop from the $1.4 billion it reported for the same time last year.
In addition to a 20% production capacity reduction, CEO Makoto Uchida will give up 50% of his compensation and other executives have taken voluntary pay cuts.
NASA JPL plans to cut about 5% of its workforce.
Mars Curiosity rover at the John Klein site.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California is cutting its workforce for the second time this year.
In November, the agency announced it plans to lay off 325 employees, or about 5% of its workforce. The cuts follow a round of layoffs in February, where JPL cut 530 employees.
"Although we can never have perfect insight into the future, I sincerely believe that after this action we will be at a more stable workforce level moving forward," JPL Director Laurie Leshin wrote in a company-wide memo.
Leshin added that the reductions affect all areas of JPL including technical, project, business, and support areas. The layoffs are the result of "continued funding challenges" Leshin wrote.
JPL is responsible for some of NASA's most daring feats like landing the Curiosity rover on Mars and guiding Voyagers 1 and 2 into interstellar space.
Associated Press will lay off 8% of its global staff.
Associated Press will lay off 8% of its staff, the company announced in November.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The Associated Press in November announced plans to reduce its staff by 8% through a combination of buyouts and layoffs.
"This is about ensuring AP's important role as the only truly independent news organization at scale during a period of transformation in the media industry," The Associated Press said in a statement about the cuts.
The union representing a portion of AP members indicated 121 of its guild members would be offered buyouts before layoffs began, per AP.
Less than half of the expected cuts will involve news employees, the outlet reported, and though the AP has bureaus around the world, a majority of the staff reduction will occur within the United States.
Sotheby's laid off 100 workers.
Sotheby's laid off 100 workers in its New York offices.
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Sotheby's cut 100 employees from its New York offices on Tuesday, the company confirmed to multiplepublications. The layoffs include back-office workers, junior staffers, and specialists, reports said.
The layoffs come as the auction market has experienced a recent slowdown in sales and earnings. The company also previously cut about 50 employees in its London location, Art News reported.
Sotheby's recently closed a deal in October for Abu Dhabi investment company ADQ to acquire a minority stake in the company. ADQ said in a press release about the deal that the $1 billion investment was meant to support Sotheby's domestic and international expansion plans.
Sotheby's did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Wells Fargo plans to cut over 700 workers in Oregon.
Wells Fargo plans to cut over 700 workers in Oregon locations.
REUTERS/ Shannon Stapleton
Wells Fargo filed two WARN notices on December 4 sharing plans to lay off over 700 workers in Oregon, including 500 people from its Hillsboro location and 221 employees from its Salem office. It also plans to shut down both offices.
The company said in its filing that it verbally notified employees of the changes on December 3, and plans to deliver formal notices for displacement in the fourth quarter of 2025. Wells Fargo said it will provide more details on impacted roles at a later time.
Those who don't get relocated into other roles within the business are eligible to receive severance based on years of service and their opportunity to use the company health plan at active rates, the filing said.
"We continue to bring the majority of our non-customer facing positions together in locations best suited for our customers and our company," a Wells Fargo spokesperson told BI. "This effort does not impact our commitment to serving customers and clients."
CVS files notice for 164 layoffs
CVS pharmacy plans to cut 2,900 employees.
Talia Lakritz/Insider
CVS filed a WARN notice on Friday announcing 164 layoffs during a 14-day period beginning February 15.
The company shared plans in October to cut about 2,900 workers, which is less than 1% of the company, as part of a multi-year initiative to cut costs by $2 billion. The company said the vast majority of impacted workers were notified last week.
"Before taking this step, we prioritized finding cost savings everywhere we could, including closing open job postings," CVS said in a statement. "Decisions on which positions to eliminate were extremely difficult and do not diminish the value that impacted colleagues have brought to the company."
The company said most cuts would be corporate roles and wouldn't impact front line-line jobs in stores, pharmacies, and distribution centers.
The company also filed a WARN notice in October announcing 416 layoffs, 323 of which were remote. It filed another notice in November announcing 42 cuts, 30 of which were remote workers.
"We are committed to supporting these colleagues, who will receive severance pay and benefits, including access to outplacement services," the company said in a statement.
Party City announced mass layoffs
Party City announced mass layoffs and filed for bankruptcy protection.
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Party City sent an email to employees about mass layoffs at its New Jersey headquarters on Friday, CBS News reported. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas the next day.
The company said in an announcement that the decision to "wind down" followed extensive efforts to continue operations in an "immensely challenging environment driven by inflationary pressures on costs and consumer spending."
