MercadoLibre, the Latin American e-commerce giant, laid off 119 employees across the region on January 12, 2026, as part of an automation and restructuring effort. The layoffs, which affected 32 workers in Argentina and 87 in other countries, primarily targeted the content team within the User Experience (UX) department. Former employees allege they were dismissed after having trained the very AI systems that now handle customer and seller support, including via WhatsApp, effectively replacing their functions. The company framed the move as an organizational evolution to create more agile teams by integrating Design and Content areas, stating it does not change its growth strategy and noting it created over 42,000 new jobs in the region in 2025. This incident reflects a broader global trend of workforce reductions linked to AI integration.
