Layoffs in United States

Glossier laid off 150 employees representing approximately 38% of its workforce on 2020-08-07.

Vesta laid off 56 employees on 2020-08-05.

tZero on 2020-07-30.

In July 2020, Japanese e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten announced it was shutting down its U.S. online retail marketplace, originally known as Buy.com, leading to layoffs of 87 employees at its U.S. headquarters. The decision to wind down operations over two months came after years of struggle in the competitive U.S. market, where aggressive competition from Amazon, a rebranding from the well-known Buy.com name, and declining business made the venture unsustainable. Rakuten, which had acquired Buy.com for $250 million in 2010, emphasized that its profitable cash-back rewards business (Rakuten.com, formerly Ebates) and other divisions like Kobo were unaffected. This move reflected Rakuten's broader diversification, as the marketplace closure, while a setback, had limited impact on the larger corporate bottom line.

Pared on 2020-07-29.

Procore laid off 180 employees representing approximately 9% of its workforce on 2020-07-28.

Checkr, a San Francisco and Denver-based background check startup serving clients like Uber and Lyft, laid off 64 employees last Thursday, representing 12% of its workforce. The cuts affected multiple departments and were driven by a hiring slowdown among its clients during the pandemic. Impacted employees will receive 2 to 4 months of severance pay, one year of health insurance, and the removal of the one-year vesting cliff for stock options. Checkr, which was valued at $2.2 billion in late 2019, is part of the broader tech industry facing economic pressures.

In late July, LinkedIn conducted a significant workforce reduction, laying off 960 employees, which represents about 6% of its total staff. The cuts primarily impacted the Global Sales and Talent Acquisition teams, driven by a slowdown in hiring during the pandemic that affected the company's Talent Solutions business. As a response, LinkedIn launched an opt-in talent directory to help these former employees, many with expertise in customer success, recruitment, and sales across global regions, connect with new opportunities through its own platform. This move highlights the challenges faced by the professional networking giant in the tech industry's evolving landscape.

Lighter Capital laid off 22 employees representing approximately 49% of its workforce on 2020-07-20.

Optimizely, a San Francisco-based startup specializing in A/B testing and digital experimentation software, laid off approximately 60 employees, representing 15% of its workforce, in July 2020. The company cited the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as the primary reason for this difficult decision, aiming to position the business for continued success. Founded in 2009 and backed by investors like Benchmark, Index Ventures, and Goldman Sachs, Optimizely had raised $200 million in venture capital and served major clients such as Visa and IBM. Despite the broader trend of enterprise SaaS companies benefiting from the shift to remote work, Optimizely implemented these cuts, providing affected staff with severance, six months of COBRA coverage, and their laptops.

Vox Media, a prominent digital media company, is preparing for company-wide layoffs affecting both unionized and non-union staff. This decision follows a significant slump in advertising revenue, with the company reporting it was 40% off its second-quarter forecast and expects to miss its full-year target by 25%. The layoffs come after Vox furloughed about 100 employees, or 9% of its staff, in April due to the pandemic's impact, many of whom will now be permanently let go. With approximately 1,200 total employees, the exact number of new cuts is still being determined as the company consults with unions. The media industry has been heavily affected by reduced advertising budgets during the coronavirus crisis, prompting these difficult measures.

Yelp, the online review platform, announced in August 2020 that it would lay off an additional 63 employees as part of its extended office closures into 2021. This comes after the company had previously laid off 1,000 workers and furloughed about 1,100 in April due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically reduced consumer activity and business for local services. While Yelp is recalling nearly all furloughed employees and restoring pay, the ongoing uncertainty in the economy led to these further job cuts. The layoffs reflect the broader challenges faced by the tech and local business industry during the pandemic, as companies adjusted to shifting consumer behaviors and prolonged remote work arrangements.

OnDeck conducted a round of layoffs this week, affecting employees across its New York and Denver offices as of July 2020. While the exact number of employees laid off and the total workforce size were not disclosed, the move was described by a former employee as necessary for the company to navigate the unprecedented economic challenges at the time. The layoffs were significant enough that the head of corporate communications was also reportedly no longer with the company, highlighting the impact. OnDeck operates in the financial technology industry, providing small business loans, and the layoffs reflect broader adjustments within the fintech sector during the pandemic period.

In response to the economic challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Denver-based interior design startup Havenly implemented layoffs in the spring of 2020. The company let go of five full-time employees and some temporary workers, while also transitioning some designers from employee to contractor status. These cuts were part of broader efforts to conserve capital during a period of uncertainty, which included a discernible dip in business in March and early April. However, as stay-at-home orders spurred increased consumer interest in home improvement, Havenly's digital-focused business model saw a rebound. By June 2020, the company had reversed course, hiring six new full-time employees and five temps. The pandemic also led to the permanent closure of Havenly's retail locations in several major cities, as the company decided to focus on its digital offerings.

Kongregate laid off 12 employees on 2020-07-01.

In July 2020, women's coworking operator The Wing laid off 56 employees, a mix of hourly and corporate staff, as part of ongoing restructuring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This followed a previous round in April that cut the majority of hourly workers and half of the corporate workforce. The company, which had grown to about 12,000 members across multiple cities and raised over $100 million from investors, was forced to temporarily close its locations and pause memberships and programming. Facing a slashed valuation and operational challenges, The Wing aimed to rebuild its business model, offering severance and health benefits to affected staff while seeking a new path forward for its community.

Sharethrough laid off 18 employees on 2020-07-01.

Hired on 2020-06-30.

G2 laid off 17 employees representing approximately 5% of its workforce on 2020-06-30.

New Relic laid off 20 employees on 2020-06-29.

Argo AI laid off 100 employees on 2020-06-29.

Bossa Nova, a robotics company, laid off a significant portion of its workforce in early November 2020. While the exact number of employees affected was not publicly disclosed, the layoffs impacted dozens of workers, representing a substantial reduction as the company shifted its business strategy. The cuts were part of a broader restructuring, moving away from in-store inventory robots for retailers like Walmart—a sector heavily impacted by the pandemic—to focus on other robotics applications. This restructuring occurred within the competitive and capital-intensive robotics and artificial intelligence industry.

Katerra laid off 400 employees representing approximately 7% of its workforce on 2020-06-29.

Engine eCommerce, a Fayetteville-based e-commerce software startup, laid off its entire workforce of approximately 25 employees in early 2020 after a critical funding round collapsed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, which had raised $4.5 million in venture capital and was expanding its team and office space, effectively shut down, with its website going offline and employees listing themselves as former staff. Led by prominent entrepreneur John James, Engine had developed a cloud-based platform to optimize customer acquisition and conversion but was forced to close when financial backing disappeared amid the pandemic's economic uncertainty.

Byton on 2020-06-27.

Sprinklr, a customer experience management platform valued at over $1 billion, laid off at least 30 employees in late May, affecting multiple departments across the country with a notable focus on customer success roles. While the exact percentage of its total workforce impacted is not specified, the company has initiated a talent directory to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the economic pressures within the tech industry that prompted this restructuring.

Sonos, the audio technology company known for its smart speakers, announced in a filing on Tuesday that it is reducing its global workforce by 12% as a direct response to the economic uncertainty and challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on its reported total of 1,450 employees, this layoff affects approximately 174 people. The company is also closing its New York City retail store and six satellite offices as part of broader cost-cutting measures initiated in March, which included reducing marketing investments and managing inventory. CEO Patrick Spence stated these difficult decisions are necessary to position the company for future opportunities. Sonos estimates the restructuring will incur charges of $25 to $30 million, with executive and board compensation also being reduced during this period.

GoDaddy, a major domain registrar and web services company, is laying off 814 employees, which represents approximately 10% of its workforce. This restructuring, announced in mid-2020, is primarily due to significant challenges with its outbound sales and GoDaddy Social product, as the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted many of the small business clients who use these services. The layoffs heavily affect teams in Austin, where offices are closing, and include 331 sales employees from the social division, along with reductions in fulfillment and customer success teams. While many affected employees are being offered new roles or relocation, the company is providing substantial severance packages. The move is part of a broader business shift amid the pandemic's economic fallout.

Dark, a programming language and service startup, has laid off at least six employees, which includes four engineers, one designer, and one business person, all based remotely or in the San Francisco Bay Area. This represents a significant reduction, effectively leaving co-founder Paul Biggar as the sole employee, though the company will continue operating. The layoffs occurred last week, following the release of a layoff list by Dark. Founded in 2017 with a $3.5 million seed round, the company operates in the software development industry as a small-scale startup. The move suggests a major downsizing, with its LinkedIn page now showing only the founders as active, indicating a near-complete shutdown of its workforce.

ScaleFactor laid off 90 employees representing approximately 90% of its workforce on 2020-06-23.

Intuit, a major financial software company, announced layoffs impacting 715 employees as part of a strategic acceleration to become an AI-driven expert platform. This reduction, representing a small percentage of its global workforce of over 18,000, is intended to rebalance investments toward high-priority areas like AI and virtual solutions. CEO Sasan Goodarzi stated the move, made in early 2024, is necessary to increase velocity amid rapid market changes and evolving customer needs. Concurrently, the company plans to add more than 700 new roles in strategic capabilities, aiming for a net shift in its talent composition.

WeWork is undergoing a significant restructuring in the UK, with a second round of mass layoffs this week affecting around 200 roles, primarily in its community team. Approximately 82 community managers and leads were cut, representing over 50% of that team, as part of a broader reorganization to centralize functions like billing and sales. The company, operating in the coworking and flexible office industry, aims to launch a new member experience plan in July, shifting to a "shared services" model to drive long-term profitability. While the exact global impact is unclear, these cuts reflect WeWork's ongoing efforts to streamline operations amid its five-year growth plan.

Atlas Obscura, a media company known for its exploration of curious and wondrous places, laid off 13 employees in June 2020. This represented approximately 20% of its workforce at the time. The layoffs were a direct result of the severe financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically reduced advertising revenue and disrupted the travel industry central to its content. The company, operating in the digital media and travel sector, was forced to make these cuts to ensure its sustainability during the global crisis.

Based on the provided content, there is no information about a layoff event at Redox. The text appears to be a standard website login or registration interface, containing prompts for account creation, sign-in options, and links to privacy policies and terms of use. It does not mention any news, announcements, or details regarding workforce changes, financial performance, or operational updates for the company. Therefore, a summary of a layoff event cannot be generated from this material.

Splunk laid off 70 employees representing approximately 1% of its workforce on 2020-06-16.

Conga, a document generation software company for Salesforce customers, laid off 11% of its staff last Monday, affecting multiple departments. This reduction, impacting the combined entity following its merger with competitor Apttus, was due to role redundancies from the consolidation. The company, operating in the enterprise software industry, provided severance and transition support to affected employees, including resume and interview assistance. The layoffs primarily involved roles in Professional Services, Customer Success, Sales, and Sales Engineering.

Stockwell AI, a San Francisco Bay Area-based smart vending machine startup, is shutting down entirely on July 1, resulting in a 100% layoff of its workforce. The closure stems from severe industry challenges during COVID-19, including sanitation concerns and reduced foot traffic, which caused business losses of up to 90% in the vending machine sector. While the exact number of employees affected is not specified, the shutdown impacts all departments as the company winds down operations.

Uber is laying off approximately 200 employees at its European headquarters in Amsterdam, representing 15% of the office's 1,500-person workforce. This move, announced to staff on a Friday, is part of the company's broader response to the dramatic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely reduced demand for taxi services. The decision aligns with Uber's global restructuring announced in May, which included cutting 25% of its worldwide workforce (6,700 jobs) and closing 45 regional offices. Affected Amsterdam employees will receive a severance package, and the company has opted not to seek Dutch government salary support. Despite the cuts, Uber's plans to relocate its Amsterdam office to the Zuidas business district remain unchanged.

SynapseFI laid off 63 employees representing approximately 48% of its workforce on 2020-06-12.

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.

Her Campus Media laid off 10 employees representing approximately 18% of its workforce on 2020-06-10.

Ethos Life laid off 18 employees representing approximately 14% of its workforce on 2020-06-05.

The Athletic laid off 46 employees representing approximately 8% of its workforce on 2020-06-05.

Outdoorsy, a peer-to-peer RV rental startup founded in 2015, has not announced any layoffs. The company, which operates in the travel and sharing economy industry, has recently seen a significant surge in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late March 2020, Outdoorsy experienced a low point with many cancellations, but bookings have since roared back, increasing by 2,645% by early June 2020. The company, which has raised $88 million in venture funding, reports that rental durations have extended from an average of six days to over nine days, and 88% of bookings in May 2020 were from first-time renters. This growth reflects a trend of Americans seeking safer, socially-distanced travel options like RV rentals during the pandemic.

In mid-May 2020, the SoftBank-backed software startup Builder.ai, formerly known as Engineer.ai, laid off 39 employees, representing just under 14% of its global workforce of 280. The layoffs, announced via a company Zoom call, primarily affected the Los Angeles office, with some UK staff also placed on furlough. The company cited the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, noting a drop in orders despite anticipating a future shift toward digital solutions. To navigate the challenging period, Builder.ai also implemented temporary salary reductions for remaining employees and established a support fund. The startup, which offers an AI-assisted platform for app development, had rebranded in late 2019 and operates across India, London, and Los Angeles.

In June 2020, network security firm Lastline was acquired by VMware, leading to significant layoffs as part of the integration process. Approximately 40% of Lastline's workforce, around 50 employees, were let go. The company, which had raised about $52.2 million since its 2012 founding, specialized in cloud-native threat detection services for network security. The acquisition aligned with VMware's strategy to enhance its security offerings for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, marking its third security purchase that year. The deal, expected to close by the end of July 2020, aimed to provide customers with more comprehensive security solutions but resulted in workforce reductions to streamline operations.

Credit Sesame, a Mountain View-based fintech startup, laid off 22 employees on June 3, 2020, representing nearly 14% of its 160-member workforce. The company, which provides credit score monitoring, loan comparison, and mortgage refinancing services, cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as the primary reason. Restrictions imposed by credit suppliers during the economic downturn squeezed its core credit business, forcing the difficult decision to ensure long-term sustainability. Despite being valued at $251 million in 2018 and aiming for a $1 billion valuation, the pandemic disrupted its plans, including a potential public listing that year.

SpotHero laid off 40 employees representing approximately 21% of its workforce on 2020-06-03.

In June 2020, aviation startup Kitty Hawk, backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, laid off most of the 70-person team from its Flyer program, an ultralight electric flying car project. The company shifted its focus to scaling Heaviside, a quieter, faster autonomous electric aircraft. While a few employees transitioned to the Heaviside team, the majority were let go as part of this strategic pivot. The laid-off workers received substantial severance, including at least 20 weeks of pay, bonuses, and extended health coverage. This move followed the earlier spin-out of its Cora air taxi project into a joint venture with Boeing, leaving Heaviside as Kitty Hawk's primary mission in the advanced air mobility industry.

Electric vehicle startup Rivian laid off approximately 40 employees, or about 2% of its then 2,000-person workforce, in early June 2020. The cuts occurred at its engineering and design center in Plymouth, Michigan, affecting various departments including engineering and recruiting. While the company stated the layoffs were performance-based to streamline operations, some former employees believed they were linked to the economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concurrently, Rivian announced new executive hires, including a replacement chief operating officer, as it continued its growth trajectory supported by major investments from backers like Amazon and Ford.