The collaboration software company follows in the footsteps of big tech companies including Microsoft, Facebook, and Google in cutting staff to position itself for the long term, focusing on cloud migration and IT service management (ITSM). Credit: Thinkstock Australia-based collaboration software company Atlassian, whose products target software developers and project managers, has announced plans to lay off 500 employees, around 5% of its workforce, to focus on enterprise cloud migration issues and IT service management (ITSM). A blog post published Monday and authored by the company’s founders and co-CEOs, Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes, said that the company had made the “difficult decision to rebalance our team to better position Atlassian for the long term.” However, the two executives added the move was “different to a financially-driven reduction” as the decision was not a reflection of Atlassian’s own financial performance, rather that the company was instead looking to reinvest in roles that better support the company’s priorities. “As a company, we have massive growth opportunities in front of us, particularly across cloud migrations, ITSM, and serving our enterprise customers in the cloud,” the co-CEOs said. The move follows similar announcements that have been plaguing the global technology industry since the end of 2022 and has seen companies such as Meta, Twitter, Salesforce and Alphabet lay off tens of thousands of employees in order to address issues of over-hiring during the pandemic and ongoing macroeconomic factors. Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes said the teams set to be hit hardest by the cuts are talent acquisition, program management and research. Affected employees will receive 15 weeks salary, plus one week for each year of employment, job-seeking support, and will be allowed to keep their laptops. They will also be able to use internal tools to remain in contact with colleagues until Friday March 10. “We want to be clear these decisions are not a reflection of our teammates’ work,” the co-founders said. “Every single person has made contributions that have changed our company for the better and will leave a lasting impact on their peers and teams. This is about rebalancing the roles we need across Atlassian first and foremost.” In early February 2023, Atlassian posted revenue of $873 million for its second quarter fiscal year 2023, up 27% year-over-year. However, despite an increase in subscription revenue growth, the company still closed the quarter with a $205 million net loss, due mainly to increasing R&D, marketing and sales, and administrative costs. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made on March 6, 2023, Atlassian estimated that during the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, the company will incur approximately $70 million to $75 million in charges in connection with the layoffs. Related content opinion Microsoft and OpenAI: BFFs, or soon-to-be frenemies? The companies are practically joined at the hip around generative AI, but they’re starting to pull in different directions. It’s complicated. By Preston Gralla May 15, 2024 7 mins Generative AI Microsoft Technology Industry how-to The best way to run private AI chatbots on your Windows PC You can get up and running with a local, privacy-focused chatbot for Windows 11 — or even Windows 10 — in just a few quick clicks. By Chris Hoffman May 15, 2024 8 mins Generative AI Windows 10 Windows 11 feature Office 365: A guide to the updates Get the latest info on new features, bug fixes, and security updates for Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows as they roll out from Microsoft. Now updated for Version 2404 (Build 17531.20152), released on May 14, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 14, 2024 110 mins Microsoft 365 Microsoft Office Office Suites feature Windows 11: A guide to the updates Here’s what you need to know about the latest updates to Windows 11 as they’re released from Microsoft. Now updated for KB5037771, released on May 14, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 14, 2024 60 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Windows 11 Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe