Pinterest: Hundreds of layoffs to free up resources for AI

Pinterest plans to lay off around fifteen percent of its workforce. This is according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The restructuring measures, which will cost between 35 and 45 million US dollars according to the document, are primarily intended to free up resources for the company's own AI projects. Pinterest plans to complete the layoffs by the end of September 2026.

The so-called global restructuring plan includes three central “transformation initiatives,” two of which aim at the implementation of artificial intelligence. Specifically, Pinterest wants to reallocate personnel resources to drive the introduction and implementation of AI within the company. At the same time, AI-powered products and features are to be prioritized in the future. The company does not elaborate further on what exactly this means in the document submitted to the SEC.

New hires planned

Pinterest Inc., which operates the online pinboard of the same name for graphics and photos, employed around 5000 full-time employees in August last year. The planned layoffs would therefore affect around 750 employees. In a statement to the tech portal The Verge, Pinterest spokesperson Tessa Chen explained that while team members would be laid off in the short term, new AI specialists would be hired in the long term to advance the company's AI strategy.

Other companies have also repeatedly cited innovations in AI as the reason for rounds of layoffs recently. Amazon, for example, recently announced it would cut another 16,000 jobs, after the company had already cut 14,000 jobs in October last year. At the time, the US company cited efficiency gains from the use of AI as the reason for the job cuts. It is questionable whether such arguments are actually valid or merely serve as a pretext for cost-saving measures.

More AI functions despite user criticism

Like other major social networks, Pinterest is facing a flood of AI-generated content. After user complaints about AI slop, i.e., AI garbage, increased, the company introduced several new features in October last year to customize their feed. This allows users of the platform to decide for themselves how much AI-generated content they want to see. Nevertheless, it is not possible to completely hide AI content, especially since it is not reliably recognized as such.

Despite concessions to users to decide for themselves about the visibility of AI content within their feed, Pinterest introduced several new AI-powered features last year. Since June 2025, users of the platform can, for example, create AI-powered collages. Most recently, in October 2025, Pinterest launched an AI-based shopping assistant, which is intended to provide virtual advice to users.

(rah)