• Reports emerged on Wednesday that crypto exchange Binance is undergoing sizable layoffs.
• Patrick Hillmann, Binance’s Chief Communication Officer, clarified the matter via a Twitter thread.
• Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao took to Twitter to explain the situation and said the exchange has a “bottom out” program where it continually greets employees it deems “not strong fits with the company.”
Reports of Binance Layoffs Emerge
Reports emerged on Wednesday that crypto exchange Binance is undertaking sizable layoffs. On Wednesday, a report by independent journalist Colin Wu claimed Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, may have cut its staff by as much as 20%.
Binance COO Clarifies Matter
Patrick Hillmann, Binance’s Chief Communication Officer, clarified the matter via a Twitter thread. Hillmann said the exchange is not cutting 20% of its employees as a cost-cutting measure but said it would “streamline” after experiencing exponential growth over the past five years.
Binance Exchange Sees Regulatory Pressure
The exchange has faced unprecedented regulatory action in recent months and has seen a decline in market share, The Block reports. However, the company said in March that it is not planning layoffs but would grow its headcount even further. Binance CEO, Changpeng Zhao, said at the time it planned to expand its staff by between 15% and 30%.
Binance CEO Responds to Report
In response to the report, Zhao took to Twitter to explain the situation. The company’s CEO wrote Wu’s claims off as FUD, saying the exchange has a “bottom out” program where it continually greets employees it deems “not strong fits with the company.” Zhao further noted that many of these are “great people or high performers, but may not fit our unique culture/situation.”
Binance Continues To Expand
Zhao reiterated that the company is still appointing new employees. Binance Creates Japanese Trading Platform Despite a declining market share