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SAN-FRANCISCO BASED tech company Patreon has announced that it is closing its Dublin office, just three years after opening in the capital.
Patreon, which is a membership platform that helps entertainers sell their work to subscribers online, is also set to close its Berlin office.
This will result in the loss of 80 jobs, about 17% of the company’s staff.
Speaking in 2019 following the announcement of Patreon’s expansion into Dublin, Patreon’s then-Chief People’s Officer described the establishment of the company’s European headquarters in Dublin as “an exciting milestone”.
In a note sent to staff yesterday announcing the closure, Jack Conte, the co-founder and CEO of Patreon, acknowledged that he had previously “said that layoffs would be a last resort”.
He then confirmed that Patreon is “taking that step” and said he was “deeply sorry” to the people who will be leaving the company.
In the note, Conte said that the company is “offering our nine Dublin engineering teammates relocation packages to join US-based teams”.
Those due to depart the company were informed in the staff note that they would receive a “calendar invitation to a video call” within the next ten minutes to review the details of the “separation”.
In the case of the Dublin engineering team, they were informed that within the next ten minutes, they would receive a “calendar invitation with “Relocation Offer” in the title to discuss their next steps with a member of the engineering leadership team”.
Conte said he was “sorry for the difficulty” this causes to staff who are to lose their jobs, but added that the “second Renaissance has already begun” for those who will remain.
Patreon also dismissed five members of its security organisation last week, but Conte said this “stemmed from a different set of reasons from the ones guiding today’s decision”.
In the note, Conte blamed the decision on the “volatility” that the pandemic caused, “starting with a rapid acceleration during COVID lockdowns”.
He said that Patreon had “built an operating plan, but as the world began recovering from the pandemic, that plan is no longer the right path forward”.
Conte said he takes “full responsibility for choosing that original path forward, and for the changes today, which will be very difficult for our team”.
In response to this “changing environment”, Conte expressed the need for Patreon to “change the way we operate”.
He noted that this includes reducing the company’s “recruiting and other internal support functions” and taking a “more scaled approach with a smaller, consolidated team in the US”.
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lets see Leo proudly post this all over every social media like he does when a company announces new jobs, it’s just as much his fault they’re leaving if he claims so much responsibility for them coming to begin with.
@Sean Stevenson: how is it his fault? Not standing up for Leo – just curious
@Luke Ronan: how is it his fault when they come here and he claims responsibility for it? just curious.
@Sean Stevenson: im sure the IDA were responsible for bringing them to Ireland
@Sean Stevenson: living rent free in your head is Leo
@Sean Stevenson: if you’re gonna bash the government , pick one of the many obvious things you can bash them for
Patreon not making enough money throughout the world despite having a red carpet rolled out to them in Ireland is zero to do with this government.
@Paolo Fandango: Shouldn’t waste your time on him, He doesnt have a clue whats going on in the real world. Anti govt rants for likes. Chip on his shoulder against the older generations. Couldnt even explain his statement as to how he thought it was LVs fault for Patreon leaving, just a childish reply mimicking the question that was put to him……. He’ll go to bed happy with his 100+ likes despite it being BS.
Is this the start of it…..
@jl: it already started. This just made the news
@jl: nope, they got a massive artificial boost during Covid lockdown and grew the company too much in response, it’s just balancing back to where it naturally should be
@Jason Walsh: they came here pre-covid!
@OConnelj: yes but covid made them hire more because of short term demand that didn’t continue. This extra staff capacity is now not needed
Crash is happening
@Geoff Bateman: not based on this
Lousy company. Refused to close Russian business and closed Ukraine account raising money for volunteers.
Mickey Mouse operation, besides only in Ireland to pay no tax. The HR/PR speak on job losses is right out of a US firing squad consultancy.
Terrible app anyway.
These small appy startups will start consolidating, the VC money has dried up and realisation that making pennies on transactions isn’t worth it, unless it’s nudes
The “second Renaissance has already begun” – some of these tech guys are so up their own backsides.
What percentage of your Patreon contribution of ,for example, 20euros,goes to the performer that you are trying to help?
have your say