Branch

Branch laid off 85 employees on 2024-01-09.

Branch laid off 186 employees on 2023-06-08.

In June 2020, the office furniture startup Branch, based in New York and backed by venture capital, conducted a small layoff as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, which had an 11-person team, laid off 3 employees, reducing its workforce to 8 people—a reduction of approximately 27%. This move followed a sudden and severe drop in revenue, from about $800,000 in early March to zero, as offices closed and remote work began. Facing a near-collapse, Branch pivoted its business model from selling traditional office furniture to focusing on home office setups, targeting both individual consumers and corporate clients like Google and Shopify. This strategic shift to the growing work-from-home trend was an attempt to salvage the business during the industry-wide crisis.