Distributed workforce and AI-driven job cuts fuel organizing efforts in tech

A new wave of worker organizing is reshaping the U.S. technology sector, according to a major study published in Proceedings of the ACM on Human–Computer Interaction (CSCW). The research reveals that tech employees across roles and workplaces are mobilizing against precarious employment practices, mass layoffs, discrimination, and the ethical misuse of technology.

The paper, “The Future of Tech Labor: How Workers are Organizing and Transforming the Computing Industry,” provides the most comprehensive account yet of how workers in computing are navigating structural challenges while experimenting with new models of collective action. Based on interviews with 44 organizers across 28 workplaces, the study outlines both the difficulties and the possibilities shaping the future of labor in technology.

Why tech workers are organizing now

The study finds that the momentum behind organizing is driven by both economic precarity and ethical concerns. Interviewees described working conditions marked by relentless layoffs, two-tier employment systems where contractors are treated as disposable, and widening pay inequities. Many cited systemic discrimination and the absence of meaningful channels to influence company decisions as additional reasons for organizing.

At the same time, workers are motivated by deep unease about how the technologies they build are deployed. From surveillance tools to exploitative gig platforms, the moral weight of these products has pushed employees to demand a stronger voice in shaping corporate practices. The research highlights how questions of fairness at work are inseparable from broader debates about the social consequences of computing.

The authors note that this convergence of material and ethical grievances has given organizing efforts a dual character: they are about improving working conditions but also about reorienting the industry itself.

What challenges stand in the way

Despite this momentum, the study shows that tech workers face significant structural barriers. A defining challenge is the distributed nature of the workforce. Remote and hybrid arrangements weaken the informal relationship-building that historically supported unionization. Organizers must build solidarity across Slack channels and Zoom calls, often under the watchful eye of management.

Surveillance and retaliation compound the risks. Employers monitor workplace communications and sometimes use them to identify and discipline organizers. High turnover further destabilizes campaigns, as layoffs, acquisitions, and venture capital pressures make organizing a moving target.

The industry’s increasing fragmentation, through outsourcing, gigification, and fissured workplaces, creates additional hurdles. Logistics workers, contractors, and full-time engineers often experience vastly different conditions, making it harder to unify demands. In some cases, AI-driven justifications for job cuts and performance assessments introduce new layers of division.

The study emphasizes that these dynamics are not isolated incidents but reflect broader structural trends in the technology economy, where capital mobility and industry volatility undermine traditional forms of collective power.

How workers are building new models of solidarity

Despite these barriers, the research documents how organizers are adapting with innovative strategies. Workers are developing new infrastructures of solidarity that emphasize community, political education, and cross-role alliances. Campaigns deliberately seek to unite white- and blue-collar workers, contractors and full-time staff, engineers and logistics employees.

Organizers often rely on non-work channels such as encrypted messaging platforms, community spaces, and external networks to coordinate securely. They practice digital security protocols to reduce exposure to management surveillance. Minority-union models, petitions, coordinated walkouts, and public campaigns all form part of a diverse tactical repertoire.

Another critical trend is the expansion of alliances beyond single companies. Many campaigns draw strength from partnerships with established unions, nonprofits, and civic organizations. This external scaffolding helps organizers weather internal pressures and connects their struggles to broader movements for labor rights and social justice.

According to the authors, these developments signal the emergence of a more resilient and experimental labor movement in tech. While no single model has yet solidified, the infrastructure being built today could shape the industry’s trajectory for decades.