New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- IT service giant Cognizant on Wednesday said it is planning to hire about 24,000 to 25,000 freshers in 2026, a 20% increase comparing it 2025 intake, as part of its strategy to expand its workforce at the bottom level.

During the Q4 2025 earnings call, Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S. said the company is pursuing a "broader pyramid" strategy, using AI to move high-value technical work to entry-level roles. It simply means that AI will be used to push expertise downward in the organization and widen the base of junior talent.

Of the 20,000 employees hired last year, about 16,000 have already been placed on client projects, while around 4,000 are still undergoing training, highlighting the company's growing reliance on cam...