Exclusive-Unity Software cutting 25% of staff in ‘company reset’ continuation (www.yahoo.com)
from ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml to technology@lemmy.world on 08 Jan 2024 22:11
https://lemmy.ml/post/10284241

By Anna Tong

(Reuters) - Videogame software provider Unity Software will target laying off approximately 25% of its workforce, or 1,800 jobs, the company said in a regulatory filing and internal company memo on Monday.

This is the San Francisco-based company’s largest layoff ever, with completion expected by the end of March, the company said. While Unity is not widely recognized outside the gaming industry, over 1.1 million game creators rely on its software toolkit each month, including the maker of the popular “Pokemon Go,” “Beat Saber” and “Hearthstone” games.

Monday’s deep job cut will affect all teams, regions and areas of the business, the company told Reuters.

The layoffs come shortly after interim CEO Jim Whitehurst announced a “company reset” in November.

“We are … reducing the number of things we are doing in order to focus on our core business and drive our long-term success and profitability,” Whitehurst wrote in the memo to all Unity employees on Monday.

While Whitehurst provided no specifics on structural changes to come, a company spokesperson confirmed there will be additional changes coming. This is the fourth round of layoffs the company has conducted within the last year.

The layoffs and company reset follow a tumultuous period for Unity.

In September last year, the company tried to impose a new “runtime fee” pricing policy, which charged new fees to its game developers if certain revenue and install thresholds were met. Following a developer revolt and a steep dropoff in share price, the company revamped the new fees.

Following the controversy, then-Unity CEO John Riccitiello retired, and the company appointed former IBM president Whitehurst as interim CEO and president and Sequoia Capital partner Roelof Botha as board chairman.

In November, Whitehurst announced the first part of the company reset, which included terminating an agreement with a visual effects company founded by the “Lord of the Rings” director, closing offices and no longer mandating employees work from offices. Monday’s layoff is the second part of the company reset.

Unity was founded nearly two decades ago by three Danish engineers, and gained popularity among game developers for its “game engine” that makes it simpler to develop and publish games across different platforms, such as via mobile or virtual reality.

It is also used in other industries like film and automotive for 3D visualization and virtual reality. After its IPO in 2020, Unity’s stock reached a peak of around $200 in November 2021, but subsequently fell below $30 last year.

Shares have risen since Whitehurst announced the company reset.

(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

#technology

threaded - newest

hperrin@lemmy.world on 08 Jan 2024 22:23 next collapse

Yep, that’ll fix it.

ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml on 08 Jan 2024 22:26 collapse

U stock is already up 5%, sure looks fixed to me! Everything is fine, the product is doing great, trust the investors!

FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works on 09 Jan 2024 01:10 collapse

trust the investors!

Why did reading this make me physically ill?

ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml on 09 Jan 2024 17:29 collapse

False alarm it looks like Unity stock just crashed anyways lol. Can’t even fire people to boost stocks correctly

spiderkle@lemmy.ca on 08 Jan 2024 22:36 next collapse

They should fire the CEO who steered them here.

NOT_RICK@lemmy.world on 08 Jan 2024 22:40 next collapse

They did, he “retired” back in October.

ripcord@kbin.social on 08 Jan 2024 23:02 next collapse

Didn't read the article, or follow the news enough to be able to make a claim on what they should do, huh

zib@kbin.social on 09 Jan 2024 00:07 collapse

As mentioned by others, he "retired" a few months ago, but he's not the only one at fault. Many of the other executives contributed to the terrible decision making that landed the company in its current situation and they need to be cut loose as well.

Waluigis_Talking_Buttplug@lemmy.world on 09 Jan 2024 01:08 collapse

When they merged with iron source, many of the board from IS carried over. Of course the ad company wants to run the game engine company like an ad company

ArtVandelay@lemmy.world on 08 Jan 2024 22:48 next collapse

They’re cutting from the top, right?.. Right?

ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml on 08 Jan 2024 22:50 collapse

Well JR was fired resigned at least

Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world on 08 Jan 2024 22:57 next collapse

  1. CEO makes a stupid decision.

  2. Everyone hates it. Customers boycott.

  3. Employees feel the rage and blame.

  4. CEO goes “woops”. May leave with a massive paycheck.

  5. Employees get laid off.

  6. CEO joins a new company.

Never ever fall in love with your job.

massive_bereavement@kbin.social on 08 Jan 2024 23:24 next collapse

So that's the trickle part of economics!

einlander@lemmy.world on 09 Jan 2024 00:49 collapse

Jobs trickles out, money trickles in.

ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml on 09 Jan 2024 01:06 collapse

I agree with the list but I can’t sit by while you claim potatoes aren’t friends. They work hard and selflessly, put in a lot of good hours in a killer work environment. But they’re always there for us

[deleted] on 08 Jan 2024 23:59 next collapse

.

sebinspace@lemmy.world on 09 Jan 2024 02:54 next collapse

Does that include 25% of the C-Suite?

No?

Then fuck off.

Blaster_M@lemmy.world on 09 Jan 2024 03:37 collapse

Hopefully that doesn’t mean Parsec will get the axe. Parsec is a good program with no real alternatives (that don’t involve lots of painful configuration troubles, Moonlight!)

HeyLow@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 09 Jan 2024 05:08 next collapse

I didn’t even know unity acquired parsec wtf

Munkisquisher@lemmy.nz on 09 Jan 2024 08:12 collapse

They killed off other profitable divisions already, because the Csuite doesn’t understand it.