Discord CEO Jason Citron announced a major layoff, cutting 17% of the company’s workforce. Citron emphasized the need to ‘sharpen our focus and improve the way we work together.’ The decision, affecting 170 employees across various departments, reflects Discord’s commitment to agile transformation amid rapid growth challenges.
Jason Citron mentioned in a meeting with all employees, “We grew quickly and expanded our workforce even faster, increasing by 5x since 2020. As a result, we took on more projects and became less efficient in how we operated.” This is a common challenge faced by many tech companies.
This staff reduction, affecting 170 employees in different departments, is the largest one Discord has had so far. This comes after another round of layoffs in August when 4% of the workforce was let go. Other big tech companies like Google and Amazon have also been making significant job cuts.
Despite these changes, Discord’s financial situation seems stable. With over $1 billion in funding and more than $700 million in cash, the company aims to start making a profit this year. The company’s has been thinking about going public, but it’s not something they are planning to do soon.
The decision to cut jobs is part of Discord’s plan to become more agile, especially after facing challenges during the surge in user activity caused by the pandemic. While the company gained more users during that time, turning that into profit is still a goal.
Discord wants to sharpen its focus and improve teamwork among its employees. The layoffs, though tough, are seen as a necessary step to make operations more efficient and set Discord up for long-term success.
As the tech industry deals with challenges and adjusts to what users want, The company’s decision to reduce its workforce shows a proactive effort to stay successful. The company’s openness about its challenges and dedication to becoming more agile shows a strategic approach to overcome obstacles and build a more efficient and focused company culture.
Source: The Verge
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