Humane is laying off 4% of employees ahead of the release of its AI Pin
By ForGeeks Humane laid off 4 percent of its employees this week in what sources familiar with the situation said was described as a cost-cutting measure. Management recently told employees that budgets would be cut this year, said one of the people interviewed, who requested anonymity to speak without the company’s permission.
Anonymity was requested to speak without the company’s permission.
The cuts, which involved 10 people, came just before the five-year-old startup released its first device: a $699 screenless pin-less device with artificial intelligence that is being touted as a smartphone replacement. After much hype and secrecy, Humane unveiled the AI Pin to the world in November and began taking pre-orders, with shipments scheduled to begin in March.
Humane’s first AI Pin was launched in November.
Humane has raised more than $200 million from some of Silicon Valley’s biggest names, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. CEO Bethany Bongiorno and her husband Imran Chaudhry founded the company in 2019 after a long career at Apple.
The company’s CEO, Bethany Bongiorno, and her husband, Imran Chaudhry, founded the company in 2019 after a long career at Apple.
After a Verge reporter asked Bongiorno for a statement, she referred to LinkedIn to describe the cuts as «part of a broader refresh of our organizational structure as our company purposefully navigates the next stage of growth».
In the post, she said the company’s founding CTO, Patrick Gates «is also moving into an advisory role to spend more time with his family». She said that as part of the reorganization, the company has appointed new heads of hardware, software and human resources.
The company has also appointed new heads of hardware, software and human resources.
In a text message, Bongiorno said the cuts «were not communicated to those affected» although sources said they were — both verbally and in writing. «It goes without saying that, like any company, we have an obligation to remain prudent and proactive, ensuring the right roles, the right people and the right structure at every stage» — she said.
She said.
