Laptops logged out, IDs deactivated: InnoData lays off 500 in India, more in Phillipines

InnoData laid off nearly 550 employees in India, while cuts were also reported in the Philippines. Abrupt system lockouts and personal-email notices left workers seeking records and answers.

"One by one, we started losing access to our official devices. Laptops were logged out, and official IDs deactivated."

For a 28-year-old engineer based in Delhi, what began as a regular Monday at work on October 26 turned into a sudden job loss. The employee was among those affected by layoffs at InnoData India Pvt Ltd, with India Today learning that nearly 550 employees in India have been affected.

Job cuts have also been reported among the company's teams in the Philippines.

Employees said the day began as usual, with workers logging in and recording their attendance before starting their daily tasks. By lunchtime, however, reports of job cuts had begun to spread. Soon, workers started losing access to company systems, followed by termination emails sent to their personal email accounts.

A NORMAL WORKDAY TAKES A SUDDEN TURN

"It started as an usual Monday morning, with all of us logging in and recording our attendance before starting our daily work. And it continued just like it usually does, all hectic and chaotic up until lunch time," the employee told India Today.

The first sign that something was wrong came when reports began circulating that the company's Philippines team, including raters, quality experts, team leads and operational managers, had been fired during a Zoom call.

The employee said some workers in India then checked the company's HR portal and found that their payslips had been generated. According to the employee, the portal showed October 26 as the official date of resignation and the last working day.

"We frantically reached out to our managers, who were also taken aback at the news," the employee said.

As workers tried to establish what was happening, access to company systems began to disappear.

"And while we were texting our HR team about the 'rumour,' one by one we started losing access to our official devices. Laptops were logged out, and official IDs deactivated," the employee said.

NEARLY 550 EMPLOYEES REPORTEDLY AFFECTED IN INDIA

India Today has learnt that nearly 550 employees in India were affected by the layoffs on October 26. The cuts also appear to have extended beyond India, with employees in the Philippines reporting job losses.

A termination email reviewed by India Today confirms that at least one employee was informed that their employment with InnoData India Pvt Ltd would end on October 26. The communication cites a reduction in the business assignment for which the employee had been engaged.

The company has not yet publicly confirmed the total number of employees affected in India or the Philippines. The overall scale and the teams affected will need to be established through the company's response.

EMPLOYEES LEFT LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

With access to official systems being cut off, employees turned to WhatsApp to find out who else had been affected.

"As panic spread, we opened a WhatsApp group and tried to trace our colleague who've met with the same fate. By late evening, we had almost 500 people, all clueless and in a state of panic," the employee said.

The employee said workers were left trying to establish whether their colleagues had also lost their jobs, while access to company accounts and devices was being withdrawn.

Hours later, employees began receiving emails from the HR team on their personal email accounts informing them that their employment was being terminated because of business requirements, the employee said.

"There has been no calls from HR, and we didn't receive the chance to even download our payslips and other important documents as even the access of the HR payroll app was revoked," the employee said.

The employee's account could not independently establish whether everyone in the WhatsApp group had been laid off or whether the group included people from different teams and locations.

WHAT THE COMPANY'S TERMINATION EMAIL SAID

The termination email reviewed by India Today says the decision to end the employee's employment was taken because of a reduction in the business assignment for which they had been engaged.

The email states, "This is to formally inform you that, due to the ramp-down of the business assignment for which you were engaged, the Company has decided to discontinue your employment with InnoData India Pvt. Ltd., effective 26 October 2026, which will be your last working day."

It adds: "This decision has been taken in view of the prevailing business and operational requirements and is not related to your individual performance."

The communication also addresses the employee's full and final settlement. It says the settlement amount had been prepared through a demand draft and that a copy of the draft was attached for reference. The original demand draft would be handed over after the employee submitted all company-assigned assets, in line with the company's procedures.

While the letter cites business and operational requirements rather than individual performance, it does not specify the number of employees affected or provide further details about the business assignment that was scaled down.

LAYOFFS REPORTED IN THE PHILIPPINES TOO

The job cuts have also drawn attention among employees in the Philippines. Posts on Reddit include accounts from people who identify themselves as InnoData employees and say they were laid off on October 26.

One person identifying as an AI analyst wrote that mass layoffs were taking place in the Philippines, the US and India as part of the MUPSL project. Another person identifying as a process analyst said they had been told their position was redundant because of a decline in the volume of services from a major client.

The Reddit posts are individual accounts and do not independently establish the total number of employees affected or confirm that the same reason applied across all locations.

India Today has not independently verified the full extent of the reported international cuts. A response from InnoData would help clarify the number of employees affected, the teams involved and whether the reductions were linked to a specific client or project.

TECH JOBS FACE FRESH UNCERTAINTY

The reported layoffs at InnoData come at a time when technology companies are reassessing business priorities and workforce requirements.

Microsoft has also announced a voluntary exit offer for eligible employees across selected teams in the US, Canada, the UK and India. The programme gives employees the option to leave with an exit package, but it does not rule out future job cuts based on business needs.

The two developments involve different companies and employment decisions, and there is no evidence linking them. However, both underline the uncertainty facing some technology workers as businesses review their operations.

For InnoData employees, the immediate concerns are more personal: understanding why their jobs ended, retrieving employment records and completing the exit process after losing access to company systems.