More redundancies at Zwift as co-CEO resigns, but company insists "business is healthy" and "our community is growing"

The virtual cycling training app Zwift yesterday made more staff redundant, as co-CEO Kurt Biedler resigned too, with the company stating that despite the news it "remains a healthy, global business with a passionate community".

The job losses follow similar announcements over the past two years, around 150 staff let go in May 2022 before a further 80 jobs were cut last March, the second round of redundancies accounting for around 15 per cent of the workforce.

Zwift confirmed in a post on its forums last night that the news of the latest job losses had been shared with employees on Monday morning, Eric Min continuing as sole CEO following Biedler's resignation.

Redundancies "impact all areas of the business", Zwift confirmed but would not put a figure on how many staff had been let go.

The post insisted that the business remains "healthy and our community is growing", but growth has "not rebounded at a fast enough pace to justify all of the investments that we have been making", meaning the decision has been made to "become leaner" and "focus on sustainable and efficient growth".

Addressing the company's title sponsorship of major women's professional races, namely the Tour de Frances Femmes avec Zwift and Paris Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, the post said Zwift is "committed to this sponsorship and to supporting the continued growth of women's cycling" for the remainder of the deal that runs until 2025.

[ASO/Thomas Maheux]

The statement said: "We shared with our team this morning that we are making a reduction in force. This was difficult news to deliver and we regret having to part ways with some incredibly talented and passionate people. Their contributions to our mission were substantial and we're grateful for their work.

"Eric Min will continue as sole CEO and Kurt Biedler has chosen to resign. Zwift remains a healthy, global business with a passionate community. We have seen accelerated growth over the last year but in the current environment, we must focus on sustainable and efficient growth. Zwift will be more agile and focused on delivering great things for our community.

"The business is healthy and our community is growing. At the same time, growth has not rebounded at a fast enough pace to justify all of the investments that we have been making. As a result, we are taking action to become leaner with a continued focus on delivering great experiences for our community.

"Our priority is to continue delivering great experiences for our community. There is a lot to look forward to over the coming months!"

It has been a bruising couple of years for the bike industry, with redundancies across the board and numerous major brands disappearing from the landscape entirely.

On top of the aforementioned previous layoffs at Zwift, major brands such as Specialized, Strava and Wahoo have cut their workforce in recent times.

> Cycling industry layoffs: Strava and Wahoo cut 15 per cent of workforce

In October, we reported redundancies at British Cycling as the governing body announced membership was down seven per cent.

Around the same time, and following Wiggle Chain Reaction's sudden descent into administration, 105 job cuts were made by administrators there too. Most recently, Raleigh confirmed that redundancies would be part of a process that would see the iconic British cycling brand move from its Nottingham headquarters during a restructuring instigated by its parent company Accell Group.