Polarr, a photo editing software company, laid off an unspecified number of employees in late March 2020, as detailed by founder Derek Yan in a personal blog post. The layoffs occurred during the week of March 23rd, which Yan described as the most difficult week of his professional career, driven by the economic pressures and uncertainty of the early COVID-19 pandemic. While the exact scale, percentage of workforce affected, and total employee count were not disclosed, the event was framed within the broader tech industry's challenges during the global crisis, impacting the small to mid-sized company. Yan reflected on the emotional difficulty of the decision, drawing parallels to past layoffs he witnessed at General Motors and Altera.
