PepsiCo layoffs 2026: was AI the reason?

Q: Is PepsiCo in the AI layoffs register?

No. The register records job cuts that the employer linked to AI, or that a credible outlet or a named analyst linked to AI. PepsiCo's cuts were checked against that rule and left out, so they are not counted in the index or in any of the register's figures.

PepsiCo layoffs at a glance

Newest first. Each date opens the full record below.

Announced	Roles	Share of staff	Reason PepsiCo gave
Oct 19, 2026	112	Not stated	No reason given
Sep 14, 2026	143	Not stated	The need to keep optimizing and modernizing its network to serve customers and consumers
Aug 20, 2026	105	Not stated	A change in how warehouse logistics are managed at the site
Jul 14, 2026	184	Not stated	Moving the site's warehouse work to a new site in the Tulsa area

The 4 cuts, in PepsiCo's own words

What was cut, the figure and whose it is, the reason PepsiCo gave, how AI came up if it did, and the source.

Oct 19, 2026 · 112 roles

Not linked to AI

PepsiCo closed its bottling plant in Knoxville, Tennessee, laying off 112 workers in manufacturing, maintenance and warehouse services, who are paid through 1 January 2027; its sales and delivery teams in Knoxville stay.

What PepsiCo said (it gave no reason)

"We are incredibly thankful for the contributions of our employees and the support of the community"PepsiCo, in its statement on the closure, quoted by Food Dive

PepsiCo's statement gives no reason and does not mention AI. Food Dive set the closure in PepsiCo's turnaround plan for its flattening soft drinks business, and no report read tied it to AI.

Source: Food Dive: PepsiCo shutters Tennessee bottling plant amid soda slump. Checked Oct 31, 2026.

Sep 14, 2026 · 143 roles

Not linked to AI

PepsiCo is ending manufacturing and warehouse operations at its bottling plant in Cheverly, Maryland, open for more than 60 years, with 143 layoffs; its sales and delivery operations there continue.

The reason PepsiCo gave

"This decision was not made lightly." ... "We must continue optimizing and modernizing our network to best serve customers and consumers."

Why PepsiCo is not in the register

This site keeps a register of job cuts linked to AI: a cut enters it when the employer names AI or automation as a reason, or when a credible outlet or a named analyst links it to AI, and each entry is graded on what the employer itself said. PepsiCo's cuts were read against that rule and left out. They are shown here because people searching for PepsiCo's layoffs ask whether AI was behind them, and are counted nowhere on this site. How the register decides.

WARN notices filed by PepsiCo

Yes: PepsiCo filed 6 WARN notices for at least 528 jobs in 5 states since January 2025. The latest was published Oct 20, 2026 in Tennessee, for 112 jobs.

A WARN notice is the advance warning a US employer must file with a state before a mass layoff or a site closure, usually 60 days ahead. It names the site and the number of jobs but gives no reason, so on its own it says nothing about AI.

WARN notices filed by PepsiCo since January 2025
Published	Employer	Jobs	Notice / effective
Oct 20, 2026	Pepsi Bottling GroupKnox County, TennesseePublished Oct 20, 2026Tennessee WARN notices	112	Oct 20, 2026effective Jan 1, 2027
Sep 17, 2026

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Questions about PepsiCo layoffs and AI

Did PepsiCo lay off employees because of AI?

Not according to PepsiCo. It gave no reason for its October 2026 cut, AI or otherwise. No credible outlet or named analyst linked the cut to AI, so it is not in the register of AI-linked job cuts. Its 3 earlier cuts since July 2026 were not linked to AI either.

When was the latest layoff at PepsiCo, and how many jobs were cut?

Why did PepsiCo cut jobs?

PepsiCo gave no reason. In its own words: "We are incredibly thankful for the contributions of our employees and the support of the community" (PepsiCo, in its statement on the closure, quoted by Food Dive).

Is PepsiCo in the AI layoffs register?

Other layoffs in October 2026

Layoffs in October 202685 cuts at 79 employers, 27 linked to AI

Cuts that were linked to AI

AI layoffs in the US152 cuts at 124 employers since 2023

PepsiCo layoffs and AI