Walmart's Indian-origin CTO 'blamed' as the world's largest retailer cuts 1500 technology jobs

World’s largest retail giant, Walmart recently slashed 1500 jobs as part of company’s restructuring effort. As per a Reuters report, this move of the company is aimed at streamlining operations. Now, this move of the retailer has sparked a fresh debate around H-1B visas ans has led to a scrutiny directed at the company's Indian-origin Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Suresh Kumar . The job cuts, primarily impacting the technology department, come as Walmart aims to streamline its operations and adapt to evolving technological demands. While companies often undertake such restructuring to improve efficiency and focus on strategic priorities, the scale of these layoffs has drawn considerable attention.


Walmart layoffs : Scrutiny on CTO Suresh Kumar and H-1B hiringAfter the announcement of the layoffs, a viral social media post targeted Suresh Kumar, the Indian-origin CTO of Walmart. The post alleged a connection between the job cuts and the company's H-1B hiring practices. The post claimed it was "no coincidence" that over 40 percent of Walmart's IT department consists of H-1B visa holders from India.

Oh, guess what? The large layoffs today at Walmart... are from its _technology team_. You know, the kind of US worker who's _replaced_ by H1B. https://t.co/Y7YSunvCtc

— barbaragrantmedia (@bgrantmedia) May 22, 2025

BANNON: In a time of mass layoffs in entry-level tech jobs, they approved 135,000 H1-B visas. That’s outrageous. The number of H-1Bs we need this year is ZERO. Everyone issued one should go home, and every billet should be filled by an American. pic.twitter.com/tXP4eGh5Sp

— Grace Chong, MBI (@gc22gc) May 15, 2025

The fresh accusation has once again started discussions around the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Critics of the program often argue that it leads to job displacement for American workers, while proponents emphasise its role in filling critical skill gaps and fostering innovation.


Walmart layoffs: What the company said
In a memo reviewed by Bloomberg, Kumar and Walmart US CEO John Furner stated that the restructuring aims to accelerate decision-making and simplify organizational structure. Walmart has maintained that the layoffs are not directly tied to H-1B hiring, but rather part of a cost-cutting strategy amid economic uncertainties.

Who is Walmart CTO Suresh Kumar?Suresh Kumar is an IIT-Madras alumnus and he has held leadership positions in various technology companies which include Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Walmart. Kumar joined Walmart in 2019 and presently he is overlooking the US retail giant’s global tech operations including cloud infrastructure, data security, and AI-driven retail solutions.