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Sber to Cut Nearly 20% of Staff by Jan. 1 After AI Efficiency Review

Putin questioned the premise of inefficiency, prompting Gref to frame the cuts as a leadership issue.

Overview

  • CEO Herman Gref said a multi‑agent AI system analyzed personnel and flagged roles for elimination, with reductions to be completed by Jan. 1, 2026.
  • The cuts focus on the bank’s central apparatus and project teams developing various products, according to Gref.
  • Gref said the AI proposed closing projects it judged ineffective, with positions tied to those projects to be removed to free resources.
  • A team of human experts reviewed the AI assessments and found over 80% accuracy, Gref told reporters.
  • At the AI Journey‑2025 conference, Putin said there are no inefficient employees, only poor management, and Gref accepted partial responsibility.