On August 9, 2022, Brazilian furniture e-commerce unicorn MadeiraMadeira laid off at least 60 employees, representing approximately 3% of its workforce of over 2,000. The company cited a restructuring aimed at improving efficiency and reprioritizing projects as part of its growth strategy. The layoffs affected areas including product, design, IT, and development. This move occurred amid a broader downturn in the startup ecosystem, influenced by post-pandemic macroeconomic challenges and the war in Ukraine, which led to reduced investment. MadeiraMadeira, backed by SoftBank—which itself reported significant losses—joined other major Brazilian startups in implementing workforce reductions during this period of market adjustment.
