Hootsuite lays off nearly a third of its workforce as CEO tries to ‘refocus’ – TechCrunch

Social media marketing firm Hootsuite says it has slashed its workforce by 30%.

“We need to refocus our strategies to drive efficiency, growth and financial sustainability,” CEO Tom Keiser said in a statement sent to TechCrunch. The company offered no specifics on what exactly is changing about the business. It did not disclose the specific number of workers affected, nor would it say if they received any severance.

However, a June report from the Globe and Mail pegged the Vancouver-based company’s headcount at more than 1,400, suggesting that around 400 people were hit by the job cuts — the latest in a brutal wave of tech layoffs.

Nearly a month ago, Hootsuite rolled out a rebrand for its logo and owl mascot, Owly. (Not to be confused with the other tech owl, Duo).

The social media firm has raised more than $300 million in capital to date, per PitchBook, and its backers include Fidelity and Accel, the Palo Alto–based VC.

Hootsuite was rumored to be worth around $1 billion back in 2014, but if Pitchbook data is anything to go by, Hootsuite was worth about a quarter of a billion less than that figure in 2019. That year, the company laid off 10% of its staff amid reports that it had failed to sell itself.