Zillow Group's subsidiaries plan to permanently lay off 91 employees in Washington state beginning in October as part of a restructuring affecting what the comp
Zillow Group's subsidiaries plan to permanently lay off 91 employees in Washington state beginning in October as part of a restructuring affecting what the company described as "a small portion" of its workforce, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the Washington State Employment Security Department.
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The layoffs will affect a total of 500 employees company-wide, including 90 at Zillow's headquarters in Seattle and home-based workers across Washington.
Employees in the Seattle office were notified Tuesday, more than 60 days before the planned Oct. 5 separation date, and will continue receiving pay and benefits until their employment ends.
In a statement on Tuesday, Zillow's CEO, Jeremy Wacksman, said:
As I shared with employees this morning, the people we are saying goodbye to today are our colleagues, people we worked alongside and who brought their best to Zillow each day. We're grateful to every person who is leaving and we’re supporting them through this transition.
These are difficult decisions that reflect both the strides we're making in our strategy and the reality of what is required of us to grow at scale. So I want to share why we made this decision and what it means for Zillow moving forward.
Zillow's purpose is to make home a reality for more people — and we're doing that. We continue to outperform the category, despite a housing market that has been essentially flat. The integrated experience we continue to build is producing results for our business and for the renters, buyers, sellers and professionals we serve.
But, along with that strong growth, we must ensure we are organized to continue winning into the future. Continuing to grow at scale requires us to work differently than we do today. In support of that goal, we've made changes to our organization that require the elimination of some roles today. These changes are about ensuring we have a disciplined cost structure and getting more efficient, with the right people in the right positions.
None of this affects what Zillow is fundamentally about. Our mission and purpose remain steadfast — we’re making getting home a reality for more and more people.
Every day, millions of people come to us at one of the biggest moments of their lives — finding a place to rent, buying a home for a new chapter or selling somewhere they've loved. The trust they place in us is something we've earned over 20 years, and it's the foundation on which everything else we do is built on.
The opportunity in front of us is as large as it's ever been, and we're building toward it with urgency and a structure that will get us there.
The layoffs span dozens of job classifications, with many concentrated in technology, product development and management.
The largest single category is senior product managers (seven positions), followed by senior software development engineers, software development engineers and senior UX researchers (four each).
The notice also includes principal product managers, engineering directors, machine learning engineers, technical program managers, product designers, marketing professionals, legal and compliance staff, sales and customer engagement employees, research scientists and payroll, accounting and operations personnel.
Most of the affected positions involve developing software and digital products, managing engineering and business programs, conducting user research, supporting marketing and sales, or overseeing legal, financial, and operational functions.
The company said its headquarters and business operations will remain open, and some of the job cuts are tied to the relocation or outsourcing of certain operations and positions.
Workers who accept another position with the company before the effective date will not be terminated as part of the restructuring. None of the affected employees are represented by a union or have bumping rights, the notice said.
