Another major esports organization is getting hit with a significant round of layoffs to its workforce.
100 Thieves has suffered another round of layoffs today, according to senior graphic designer Gregory “Seso” Ortiz. It’s unknown, however, how many employees were laid off from the company this time around, with only one other confirmed layoff so far.
This would be 100 Thieves’ second round of layoffs over the past year, with the organization having let go of around 30 employees at the beginning of 2023. These layoffs included chief revenue officer Matty Lee and many other employees involved with sales, marketing, content, and human resources.
In March, 100 Thieves CEO Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag expressed remorse and disappointment on how the company’s decisions led to such a dire situation for its workers and said he held “so much guilt and shame” for allowing the team to reach such a state.
100 Thieves’ latest round of layoffs also reflects the current uncertainty and economic turmoil that many esports organizations are facing today, with the dreaded “esports winter” seemingly taking place over the last several months. Teams are struggling to find sponsors and hunting for profitability in a time when profitability is scarce in most scenes, causing multiple teams to begin downsizing efforts.
For example, popular North American organization Evil Geniuses underwent a third wave of layoffs on Nov. 1, which reportedly affected around 20 employees. Former employees also accused EG of frustrating working conditions over the last two years, while reportedly running on a “skeleton crew” throughout almost all of 2023.
Update Nov. 2 3:11pm CT: 100T COO John Robinson announced that the company will be “spinning off” Juvee and the organization’s new game studio, while also reducing the size of the 100 Thieves team as a whole. Moving forward, the team will be focusing on its esports efforts, content creation, and apparel.
“As the economic landscape has changed over the last two years, the growth of our business did not keep pace with the growth of our organization,” Robinson said in his statement on social media. “We cannot afford as large of an organization as before and that responsibility falls on me and [Nadeshot].”
