THE SHORT VERSION

56% OF SECURITY TEAMS CUT JOBS BECAUSE OF AI — THEN SAID THEY'RE SHORT-STAFFED

Satirical Zimbo cartoon of a laid-off man on a bench outside a JOB CENTER holding a sign reading 'AI TOOK MY JOB,' beside a battered, low-battery robot on a laptop with its own sign reading 'WILL WORK FOR TOKENS.' — Machine Age Cartoon · Zimbo

More than half of organizations — 56% — have experienced workforce reductions linked to AI, split evenly between entry-level and senior security roles, according to Barracuda's Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report. Nearly four in five say AI is already affecting security roles or headcount.

The cuts arrive alongside complaints: 67% of teams say they're struggling to scale, and nearly a third can now only protect the business reactively. Barracuda's Siroui Mushegian says AI is 'changing the cybersecurity landscape faster than many security teams can build the necessary skills.'