Flexport, a leading supply chain software startup, announced on Thursday that it will lay off about 20% of its global workforce, or roughly 700 employees, due to the impact of the macroeconomic downturn and softening trade volumes.
Flexport’s rise and fall
Flexport was founded in 2013 by Ryan Petersen, who envisioned a better way to manage the flow of goods across the world using cloud-based software and data analytics. The company offered freight forwarding and brokerage services that enabled customers to optimize costs, container efficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Flexport quickly gained traction among investors and customers, raising $900 million from SoftBank and others at an $8 billion valuation last year. The company also topped the CNBC Disruptor 50 list in 2022, as it helped businesses navigate the supply chain bottlenecks caused by the Covid pandemic.
However, Flexport’s fortunes changed this year, as the global economy faced a slowdown due to higher interest rates, inflation, and geopolitical tensions. The company’s customers, mostly small and medium-sized businesses, saw a reduction in their demand and trade volumes, which affected Flexport’s revenue and growth prospects.
Flexport’s restructuring plan
In a memo to employees on Thursday, Petersen, who returned as CEO last month after ousting his successor Dave Clark, said that the company needed to make hard decisions to set itself up for long-term success. He said that the company was overstaffed in a variety of roles across the company, and that the layoffs would start on Friday.
Petersen also said that the company would focus on improving the quality of its services, such as quote to invoice accuracy and shipment milestone accuracy. He said that the company aimed to return to profitability by the end of next year, and that it would be ready to take advantage of the opportunities in the post-pandemic economy.
Petersen expressed his gratitude to the departing employees and his confidence in the remaining team. He said that the company was resilient and purpose-driven, and that it would overcome this setback and deliver on its mission of making global commerce easy.
Flexport’s challenges ahead
Flexport’s layoffs are not an isolated case in the tech industry, as many other companies have also cut jobs after going on a hiring spree during the pandemic. Some notable examples include Amazon, Salesforce, and Coinbase.
Flexport also faces stiff competition from other players in the supply chain software space, such as Freightos, Convoy, and E2open. These companies are also vying for a share of the $9 trillion global logistics market, which is undergoing a digital transformation amid the disruption caused by Covid.
Flexport will have to prove that it can survive and thrive in this challenging environment, and that it can deliver value to its customers and investors. The company will also have to deal with the legal and reputational fallout from its leadership change, which has been marred by controversy and accusations.