Ola

Indian ride-hailing giant Ola laid off approximately 180 employees in late April 2024 as part of a restructuring effort aimed at improving profitability and preparing for its next growth phase. The job cuts, which represent a small percentage of its total workforce, coincided with the departure of its CEO, Hemant Bakshi, after just four months. This move follows Ola's recent exit from several international markets, including the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. The company, a major competitor to Uber in India and backed by investors like SoftBank, is also focusing on its upcoming IPO and leveraging AI and technology investments for future expansion.

Indian ride-hailing and electric vehicle company Ola laid off approximately 200 employees in a restructuring exercise during the second week of January 2023. The job cuts affected teams across both Ola Cabs and Ola Electric, with the company citing a need to improve efficiencies and eliminate redundant roles. This downsizing, which had been under consideration since the previous September, occurred as the company aimed to streamline operations. Ola, a major player in the mobility and EV industry, stated it continues to hire for priority areas like engineering and design despite this reduction.

Ola, the Indian mobility startup, has laid off 200 software engineers as part of a major restructuring plan to centralize operations and minimize role redundancy. This reduction affects about 10% of its engineering workforce, which totals over 2,000 roles across various streams like vehicle, battery, and autonomous engineering. The layoffs, occurring in 2022, come amid challenges including declining sales for Ola Electric scooters and previous shutdowns of ventures like Ola Cars and Ola Dash, which had already led to around 1,000 job cuts. Despite this, the company plans to hire 3,000 more engineers soon, focusing on its electric vehicle ambitions, including scooters and upcoming cars, as it navigates a competitive travel tech industry.

Indian urban mobility firm Ola is laying off approximately 1,000 employees as part of a major restructuring effort to sharpen its focus on the electric vehicle (EV) sector. The layoffs, ongoing as of late July 2022, affect various verticals including mobility, hyperlocal services, fintech, and used cars. Concurrently, the company is aggressively hiring for its EV business, planning to bring in significantly more talent for initiatives like lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing and electric car development. This shift represents a strategic repurposing of its workforce rather than mere cost-cutting, as Ola pivots away from some of its earlier super app ambitions to concentrate on its core electric mobility future.

In May 2020, Indian ride-hailing firm Ola laid off 1,400 employees, representing 35% of its workforce in India, as the company grappled with the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The layoffs, announced by CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, were a response to a dramatic 95% drop in revenue over two months following a nationwide lockdown that halted mobility services. The job cuts were confined to the mobility and food operations teams within India, while Ola Electric remained unaffected. Aggarwal cited the prolonged and uncertain crisis, noting that the shift in consumer behavior, including increased remote work and reduced travel, would have a long-term impact on the business. Affected employees received three months of salary and extended benefits.