This is a good example of coincidence being confused as causality. While the two events happened at the same time, the real reason behind the layoffs was a swing back from the excessive hiring we did coming into the pandemic (and honestly several years prior). With or without AI, the market swing was going to be bloody.

Example: "Despite reducing its workforce by 5% or roughly 10,000 workers, Microsoft's overall employee headcount remains well above what it was on March 11, 2020, which is right around when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic." [1]

[1] https://steve-taplin.medium.com/big-tech-employee-numbers-be...