Image via Inc42 (India)
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Interview Kickstart: Layoffs
Interview Kickstart laid off 80-100 employees (disputed by cofounder as under 50) as part of AI-driven restructuring. Most impacted: operations and support functions
Source: Inc42 (India)
The leadership read
Reductions rarely fall evenly, and the read is in the pattern. For Interview Kickstart in the sector, cuts like this tend to protect — and sometimes deepen — leadership where the company is betting, while thinning the rest. Across Asia, watch which functions keep or add leadership; that is the strategy stated plainly.
Market context: MitchelLake's Talent Market Index sits at 105.8 (Hot), down 2.3 on the prior month; Asia hiring signal is running steady (+0.5pts).
Interview Kickstart: 1 signal in the last 90 days; 0.1% of MitchelLake's Asia signal flow.
More signals across Asia
Layoffs · Asia
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) →Over 100 experienced scientists have resigned or opted for voluntary retirement from ISRO in recent months. The organization is responding by tightening exit rules for personnel working on key missions including Gaganyaan (human spaceflight program).
Layoffs · Asia
GoKwik →GoKwik (ecommerce enabler platform) laid off 100–120 employees as part of restructuring and automation initiative. Layoffs primarily impacted customer onboarding and tech teams. Founded 2020, backed by Z47 and Peak XV, raised $68M to date.
Layoffs · Asia
Activision Blizzard →Activision Blizzard, under Xbox parent company, is cutting jobs across the board, including elimination of a small number of roles in China.
Layoffs · Asia
Homeplus →Court termination of Homeplus rehabilitation proceedings puts 12,000 employees at immediate risk of job loss. Company reduced workforce from 20,000 (March 2025) to 12,000 (post-Homeplus Express sale) and will likely liquidate.
Layoffs · Asia
Lazada →Lazada conducting latest round of job cuts as mentioned in Tech in Asia coverage of Southeast Asian e-commerce sector changes
Layoffs · Asia
Opendoor →Opendoor shut down entire India office with approximately 250 employee layoffs, citing AI-led automation. Company consolidated manual workflows previously handled by offshore Indian employees.
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