Julie Morgan

ASML Holding plans to cut about 1,700 jobs, mainly across technology and IT.

Most of the job reductions will take place in the Netherlands, with some in the U.S., and will largely affect those in management and leadership.

The cuts represent roughly 4% of ASML's workforce.

The CFO said in a call with reporters that ASML has a complex organization, often requiring excessive coordination.

Roger Dassin added that the changes are aimed at streamlining operations so that engineers can be engineers again.

The announcement was made as ASML reported its fourth quarter results.

The company had a huge fourth quarter.

New orders hit a record 13.2 billion euros, which is about $16 billion.

nearly double what analysts were expecting.

For all of 2025, ASML made 32.7 billion euros in sales, or about $39 billion, which was 16% more than 2024.

Looking ahead, ASML now expects 2026 sales to land between 34

and 39 billion euros, roughly $41 to $47 billion, and that's higher than previous guidance.

ASML is up 5% in pre-market action after gaining nearly 3% on Tuesday.

C3.AI is up 16% in pre-market action after the information reported that the AI company is in talks to merge with Automation Anywhere.

The report said, citing people familiar with the discussions, if the deal goes through, Automation Anywhere would acquire C3.AI and go public as part of the transaction.

C3.AI is an enterprise AI application software company.

whose shares have plunged nearly 62% over the past year, pressured by declining financial performance and uncertainty around its strategy and leadership.

According to the report, Automation Anywhere developed software that automates repetitive functions and was valued by private investors at $6.8 billion in 2019.

Amazon is in the spotlight of the grocery sector after it announced its plans to close its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go storefronts to prioritize investment and growth areas.

The e-commerce giant intends to focus on expanding its Whole Foods Market brand, with plans to open more than 100 new stores over the next few years, in addition to expanding its same-day delivery service to new cities and towns in 2026.