Edtech startup Unacademy is facing new challenges, having reportedly laid off 250 employees from various departments following the recent departure of co-founder and CTO Hemesh Singh. According to The Economic Times, this latest round of job cuts primarily affected 150 employees in sales roles who did not meet their targets, with the remaining 100 employees from different departments. While Unacademy confirmed the restructuring, they did not specify the exact number of affected employees.
In a statement, Unacademy explained, “As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline operations and improve business efficiency, we recently underwent a restructuring exercise. This step was necessary to align with the company’s goals and vision for the year, focusing on sustainable growth and profitability. As a result, certain roles have been impacted.”
This marks the third instance of layoffs at Unacademy, following previous reductions of approximately 12% of its workforce (around 380 employees) in March 2023 and about 1,000 employees in April 2022, including both contract and full-time staff.
These layoffs reflect a broader trend in the Indian edtech sector. In 2022, several leading players, including Byju’s and Vedantu, saw significant workforce reductions as the surge in online learning post-pandemic began to stabilize. Unacademy itself had conducted layoffs earlier in 2023, and its medical entrance exam preparation platform PrepLadder also underwent job cuts in May 2024.