Humane lays off 4% of its workforce just before releasing its AI Pin. The highly and richly valued, secretive startup will start shipping its very first device in the month of March.
Humane Lays Off 4% Of Its Workforce
Humane reportedly laid off 4 percent of its workforce this week alone in a move that was described as many as a cost-cutting measure to affected workers, as per sources familiar with the said matter. Employees were just recently told by the leadership of the firm that budgets would be lowered this very year, said one of the affected people, who requested anonymity to speak without the permission of the firm.
The cuts in question, which numbered 10 people, come ahead of the five-year-old startup shipping its very first device which in case you don’t know is a $699, screenless, AI-powered pin that is pitched as a smartphone replacement. After tons of hype and secrecy, Humane unveiled the AI Pin to the world back in November and then started to accept preorders, with shipments kick start in March.
How Humane Raised Funds for Operations
Humane raised more than $200 million from who’s-who of Silicon Valley, including Sam Altman of OpenAI. CEO Bethany Bongiorno and husband, Imran Chaudhri both started the company back in the year 2019 after reportedly spending very long careers at Apple.
After I asked Bongiorno to provide a statement for this very story, she opted to go to LinkedIn to describe the cuts as “part of a wider refresh of our organizational structure as our company evolves with purpose for this next phase of growth.”
Humane’s CEO Post Describing the Layoff
In the said post in question, she announced that founding CTO Patrick Gates “will also be transitioning to an advisor in order to spend more time with his family.” She revealed that the company had promoted new heads of hardware, software, and people as part of a whole reorganization.
Bongiorno In a text message revealed that the cuts in question were “not communicated as a layoff” to those who were affected, despite sources revealing that they were, both verbally and also in writing. “It goes without saying that, like every company, we have a responsibility to remain prudent and proactive, ensuring we have the right roles, right people, and the right structure at every juncture,” she stated.
MORE RELATED POSTS
