The start of 2024 is a continuation of the last months of 2023 for the IT industry, sad and full of layoffs. After Unity and Amazon, it’s Discord’s turn to announce the departure of part of its team. In total, 17% of the group’s workforce lost their jobs, or 170 people. In an email sent to The Verge, the CEO explains that he wants to refocus the group’s focus.
“This is a decision that we did not take lightly, but one that we are convinced will better serve our users, our business and our mission in the long term. »
Jason Citron, CEO of Discord
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, Discord has seen a meteoric rise across the world. No longer used only by players, the company had to do what was necessary to keep up and adapt to new users. In almost 4 years, the workforce has multiplied by 5, making it possible to multiply projects. Unfortunately, the company grew too quickly, at the cost of their efficiency. In any case, this is what Jason Citron points out to justify his action of the day.
According to The Verge, the company’s goal is to become profitable in 2024. Despite the billion dollars obtained in financing, this is not enough. So much so that it would be considered in the coming years to make the software public. A hard blow for a company which, in 2021, saw the possibility of being bought by Microsoft for 12 billion dollars.
However, this surprise departure is still accompanied by some compensation. Employees thus laid off will be able to benefit from 5 months of salary, and an additional week per year spent at Discord. Added to this are maintenance of social benefits for 5 months, three months of reclassification services, the acquisition of shares on February 1 and access to Modern Health until the end of the year. A gesture which, if it does not make up for this loss of positions, has the merit of avoiding putting them on the brink.