IBM has laid off around 20,000 employees in China, according to reports from Chinese media outlets and social media posts from affected workers. The layoffs come as tensions between the United States and China continue to escalate over issues such as technology, trade, and national security. IBM has not officially confirmed the number of job cuts, but the company has been shifting its focus away from hardware and towards cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The layoffs in China are part of a broader restructuring effort by IBM to streamline its operations and cut costs. However, the timing and scale of the job cuts in China have raised concerns about the potential impact on US-China relations and the ability of American companies to operate in the Chinese market. Some analysts suggest that the layoffs could be seen as a retaliatory move by China in response to US efforts to restrict the flow of technology to Chinese companies. Overall, the situation highlights the growing tensions between the two economic superpowers and the challenges faced by multinational companies caught in the crossfire.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/27/business/china-ibm-layoffs-us-tensions-intl-hnk/index.html