In November 2022, the Munich-based e-learning startup StudySmarter laid off approximately 70 employees, primarily freelancers from its content department. This reduction followed the completion of a major growth initiative to cover the curricula of key academic subjects. The company, founded in 2018 and having raised $15 million the previous year, stated that these roles were specifically tied to that project. With over 400 employees and more than 10 million users at the time, the layoffs reflected a strategic shift after rapid expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had boosted demand for digital learning platforms. StudySmarter continues to operate its mostly free, ad-supported platform for students and teachers.
