Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Kraken to Layoff 30% of its Workforce as Crypto Winter Bites

Validated Media

Kraken, one of the oldest crypto exchanges in the industry, has announced that it will be letting go of 1,100, or 30%, of its employees worldwide ‘in order to adapt to current market conditions.’

The changes at Kraken were made public by its co-founder and CEO, Jesse Powell, through a blog post in which he thanked all affected employees for their contributions to the company and said it will do its best ‘to help them transition to their next opportunity.’

He added that the job cuts would reduce Kraken’s team to what it was one year ago.

Kraken Grew Fast, but Macroeconomic and Geopolitical Factors Have Affected the Markets

Mr Powell explained that since its inception in 2011, Kraken had been a part of onboarding new users into the crypto space, thus resulting in tremendous growth in the company. ‘We had to grow fast, more than tripling our workforce, in order to provide those clients with the quality and service they expect of us,’ he stated.

But the state of the global economy has had its toll on all financial markets.

‘Since the start of this year, macroeconomic and geopolitical factors have weighed on financial markets. This resulted in significantly lower trading volumes and fewer client sign-ups. We responded by slowing hiring efforts and avoiding large marketing commitments,’ he added. ‘Unfortunately, negative influences on the financial markets have continued and we have exhausted preferable options for bringing costs in line with demand.’

Krakenites Affected Will Receive Comprehensive Support

Regarding support for affected Kraken employees, Mr Powell outlined the following measures to assist them moving forward.

  • 16 weeks of base pay
  • Individual performance bonuses to be determined by managers
  • Four months of healthcare continuation coverage and access to counselling services
  • An extension period for departing Krakenites to exercise their vested stock options
  • Immigration support for those working on company-sponsored visas
  • Career support for exiting employees ‘including networking opportunities, job search best practices, interview guidance, and more’
Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: Meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio Scheduled for Tomorrow

    On July 22, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio has been scheduled for tomorrow.

  • Supermicro Surges Over 14% Pre-Market as Q4 Gross Margin Doubles Guidance, New Orders Exceed $60 Billion

    On July 22, AI server manufacturer Supermicro (SMCI.US) surged over 14% in pre-market trading to $29.17. On the news, the company released preliminary results for the fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30. The company's GAAP and non-GAAP gross margins are expected to be between 15% and 17%, nearly double the previously guided range of 8.2% to 8.4%. Management attributed this better-than-expected performance to favorable customer structure and product mix. Meanwhile, the company's total new orders for the quarter exceeded $60 billion, a record high.

  • US Optical Communication Stocks Fall in Pre-market, Marvell Down Over 2%

    On July 22, US optical communication concept stocks fell collectively in pre-market trading, with Astera Labs, Coherent, Credo Technology, Ciena, AXT Inc, and MaxLinear falling more than 3%, and Fabrinet, Lumentum, Corning, Applied Optoelectronics, Tower Semiconductor, Marvell Technology, POET Technologies, and GlobalFoundries falling more than 2%.

  • US AI chip stocks fall pre-market, Intel down 3%

    On July 22, US stock market AI chip stocks generally fell before the market open, with Intel down 3%, TSMC, AMD, and Qualcomm down over 2%, Broadcom down nearly 2%, and NXP and Nvidia down over 2%.

  • Russia Develops 150nm Lithography Machine, Performance Comparable to Pentium 4 from 20 Years Ago

    On July 22, according to Fast Technology, Russia's Green City Nanotechnology Center (ZNTC) has successfully developed a prototype of an electron beam lithography machine (ELL) with a design standard of 150nm. The project is a key research and development task under the framework of Russia's national plan for scientific and technological development, codenamed Progress ELL 150. This device is mainly used for manufacturing photomasks, and can also directly draw circuit patterns on substrates without using masks. The 150nm process roughly corresponds to the performance level of Intel's Pentium 4 from 20 years ago. In 2025, ZNTC demonstrated a similar device with 350nm resolution, and has now advanced to 90nm and 130nm technology nodes. Industry experts point out that such equipment is only suitable for small batch production of specialized chips in fields such as aerospace and defense.

  • Beijing State-owned Capital: Nearly 10 Billion Yuan Allocated to Stock Market from Own Funds

    On July 22, Beijing State-owned Capital Operation and Management Co., Ltd. announced that, as of now, it has allocated nearly 10 billion yuan from its own funds to invest in the stock market. Going forward, the company will continue to support listed company stocks using its own funds and through its subsidiaries, including securities firms and public funds, while also backing the development of the Beijing Stock Exchange. Rooted in its functional role as a state-owned capital operator, the firm is committed to safeguarding the strategic value of core assets of listed companies and contributing to the stable and healthy growth of the capital market through concrete actions, as a state-owned enterprise based in Beijing. (Beijing State-owned Capital)

  • U.S. Stock Futures Fall, Major Indices Decline

    U.S. stock futures are lower, with Nasdaq 100 futures down 1%, S&P 500 futures down 0.4%, and Dow futures down 0.3%.

  • Japan's Two-Year Government Bond Yield Rises to 1.47%, First Time Since 1995

    Japan's two-year government bond yield rose to 1.47%, the first time since 1995.

  • WTI and Brent Crude Surge Over 4%

    On July 22, international oil prices surged rapidly. WTI crude oil futures rose over 4% to $87.77 per barrel; Brent crude oil futures rose over 4% to $94.71 per barrel.

  • Bank of Japan Reportedly Willing to Raise Rates Faster Than Once Every Six Months

    On July 22, the Bank of Japan is reportedly willing to raise interest rates at a pace faster than once every six months.