GitHub lays off hundreds of workers, goes fully remote
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The unfortunate 2023 trend for mass layoffs in the technology industry shows no signs of slowing down after GitHub became the latest company to announce significant layoffs.
The announcement is expected to affect 10% of the company’s approximately 3,000 employees, meaning hundreds of people could lose their jobs.
Among other cost-cutting measures, GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke also announced plans for the company to close all of its brick-and-mortar offices and operate entirely remotely, which will appeal to a significant portion of employees who have preferred the added flexibility since they received the WFH mandate for nearly three years. years ago.
GitHub layoffs
In an email to employees, Dohmke explained that the platform is now home to 100 million developers, many of whom make heavy use of the AI-powered Copilot, which turned out to be the company’s most successful launch.
In addition to a hiring freeze, which remains in effect, affected employees can expect to be notified in FY23, some soon and others later.
The company’s exact parting gift to its employees has not been publicly announced, but we do know that employees will receive a transition allowance, health care extension, and other transition allowances.
Dohmke also explained that the company has seen “very low occupancy rates” in its offices, in line with its remote-first culture. All of its offices will eventually close when it is appropriate, including considering leases.
Other cost-cutting measures include a four-year renewal cycle for laptops (up from three years) and a step back to the Microsoft Teams subscription for video conferencing only (Slack will still serve for other communication purposes).
Outside the four walls of GitHub, with the same name GitLab (opens in new tab) also announced a 7% headcount reduction due to the difficult macroeconomic environment.
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