As protests brew over alleged mass layoffs at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), employees are beginning to share their stories — and they paint a troubling picture of silence, confusion, and sudden loss of livelihood.
Several former TCS staffers, speaking to local media under condition of anonymity, claim they were given minimal notice, vague explanations, and no formal exit interviews. Many were reportedly terminated for “performance issues” despite years of service and positive appraisals.
“I got an email saying my role was being phased out. No face-to-face meeting, no warning. Just like that, I was gone after 8 years,” said one former software engineer based in Pune.
The IT Employees Association of India (ITEAI) claims that over 30,000 such terminations have taken place across India and overseas centers in the past year — a figure TCS has not confirmed nor denied.
In response, the union is preparing global protests and demanding legal intervention. It has already submitted complaints to the Labour Commissioner and is planning marches in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, London, and Toronto.
TCS’s last quarterly earnings call made no mention of large-scale layoffs. The company emphasized its investment in AI transformation and cited its goal to create a “future-ready” workforce. However, affected employees claim there was little effort to retrain or reassign them.
The silence from company leadership is leaving a sour taste. “After dedicating nearly a decade to the company, I expected at least a conversation,” said another ex-employee.
As the protests gain momentum, questions are being raised not just about TCS, but about how India’s tech industry will treat its people in the age of automation.
