# Oracle's severance: what laid-off workers actually get

> An internal FAQ reveals Oracle is offering less generous severance than rivals as it cuts thousands to fund AI spending.
- Title: Oracle's severance: what laid-off workers actually get
- Summary: An internal FAQ reveals Oracle is offering less generous severance than rivals as it cuts thousands to fund AI spending. Oracle laid off staff this week with…
- Keywords: oracle, layoffs, severance, stock options, ai infrastructure, tech industry, business, technology, Oracle's, laid-off, workers, actually
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/internal-oracle-document-what-happens-to-laid-off-employees-2026-9
- Author: Ashley Stewart
- Published: 2026-09-18T17:43:12.909+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: oracle, layoffs, severance, stock options, ai infrastructure, tech industry, business, technology
## Oracle cuts staff, details emerge
Oracle started notifying affected employees on Monday. An internal FAQ document shows what they lose and keep in severance.
## What severance covers
Employees get four weeks' base salary plus one week per year of employment, capped at twenty-six weeks total.
## What workers lose
Unvested stock awards disappear. Future corporate bonuses are forfeited. Participation in employee stock programs ends.
## Why Oracle is cutting costs
The company is shedding tens of thousands of workers while borrowing billions to fund AI data centers and infrastructure.
## CFO on spending choices
Chief Financial Officer Hilary Maxson told staff Oracle must simplify processes and make clear choices on resource use.

> I don't mean doing more with less, which is a phrase that I really, really don't like.
## Oracle's package lags rivals
Salesforce offers up to thirty weeks severance. Microsoft offered up to thirty-nine weeks. Oracle's cap of twenty-six weeks is less generous.
## Key takeaway

Oracle laid off staff this week with severance capped at twenty-six weeks, losing unvested stock and bonuses, less generous than Microsoft and Salesforce packages.