Walmart to Cut Jobs as It Focuses on ‘Future of Retail’

Walmart (WMT) is laying off workers as part of a U.S. restructuring the retailing giant said was designed to “sharpen our focus” in order to “accelerate our progress delivering the experiences that will define the future of retail.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that 1,500 U.S. corporate positions would be eliminated.

In a letter to employees, a copy of which was provided to Investopedia, Walmart explained it was “reshaping some teams in our Global Tech and Walmart U.S. organizations where we have identified opportunities to remove layers and complexity, speed up decision-making, and help associates innovate rapidly.”

The company added that because “technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace,” these moves allow it to “accelerate how we deliver and adapt to the changing environment around us.”

The Journal quoted a company spokesperson as saying the reductions were not related to new U.S. tariffs. Last weekend, President Trump blasted the biggest brick-and-mortar retailer for suggesting it would need to increase prices because of the new duties, arguing that Walmart should “eat the tariffs.” That led Walmart to respond by saying, “We have always worked to keep our prices as low as possible and we won’t stop.”

Walmart shares edged lower Thursday morning. They’re up about 6% in 2025.