“Today, I am sharing news about changes we are implementing to better position for eBay for long-term, sustainable growth,” Jamie Iannone, President and CEO, said in an internal note to staff on January 23. The note was subsequently shared on the official website too.

The ‘most significant and toughest of these decisions,’ Iannone said, is to reduce the current headcount by ‘1000 roles or an estimated 9% of full-time employees.

He further stated that in addition to the layoffs, eBay will ‘scale back’ the number of contracts the San Jose-based firm has within its alternate workforce, with this to be done over the next coming months.

“These are not actions that we take likely. We have to say goodbye to people who have made so many important contributions to the eBay community and culture, and this isn’t easy,” Iannone wrote, adding that the company’s headcount and expenses have both outpaced the growth of its business.

What next?

According to Iannone, those impacted will be notified ‘shortly,’ with team leaders communicating the decision in a one-on-one conversation via Zoom.

Also, US-based staffers have been directed to work from home on January 24 to provide ‘some space and privacy for these conversations.’

The outgoing workers will also be offered ‘support and resources,’ the President and CEO said.

500 employees laid off in February 2023

In its previous round of job cuts, in February 2023, eBay laid off 500 people or 4% of its then overall workforce. As of December 31, 2022, its employee strength stood at 11,600.