CDW Cuts Jobs As AI Cost-Cutting Drive Takes Hold

‘CDW recently made organizational changes—which included coworker reductions—to sharpen our operating discipline and reinvest in the highest-return, highest-growth opportunities, including focusing our resources where our customers need us most,’ a CDW spokesperson confirmed.

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CDW in July initiated a round of layoffs, sources told CRN.

Vernon Hills, Ill.-based CDW, ranked No. 5 on CRN’s 2026 Solution Provider 500, declined to provide details about the layoffs, but in a statement emailed to CRN, a CDW spokesperson confirmed that layoffs have indeed been happening.

“CDW recently made organizational changes—which included coworker reductions—to sharpen our operating discipline and reinvest in the highest-return, highest-growth opportunities, including focusing our resources where our customers need us most. These changes further position CDW to continue delivering the outcomes our customers need and expect in the AI era,” the statement said.

The company did not disclose the number of impacted employees.

The possibility of layoffs at CDW was brought up in May during the company’s first fiscal quarter 2026 financial conference call.

After discussing how CDW’s “Geared For Growth” AI-first initiative, which targets cost savings of up to $200 million, will “supercharge” the company as it embeds AI throughout the $23.2 billion organization, CDW CEO Christine Leahy was asked by analysts if the cost savings will result in layoffs in the organization.

“It certainly is focused on driving effectiveness into our sales and customer-facing organizations, but equally embedding AI across our core end-to-end processes which will indeed drive efficiency,” Leahy said. “In terms of where the specific [cost savings] dollars are coming from, they will be derived both from increased productivity as well as cost savings, and having our co-workers leverage their time, skills and capabilities in a more valuable way.”

Several ex-CDW employees have taken to LinkedIn to discuss the layoffs.

One former security employee confirmed that layoffs were happening in a LinkedIn message to CRN but declined to provide details.

Another employee just laid off from the company’s corporate real estate business praised CDW in a LinkedIn post for the opportunity it provided to drive successful project outcomes via strategic project leadership, advanced design programming, and more.

A business development employee who was just let go posted on LinkedIn that, while being laid off is never easy, it is “an opportunity to grow and take on a new challenge in my career.”

Prior to the current round of layoffs, CDW last July also laid off several employees, according to a number of reports including thelayoff.com.

CDW also laid off between 450 and 750 employees in April 2023.

Steven Burke contributed to this report.