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Tokopedia denies mass layoffs amid workforce restructuring claims
The company previously cut more than 450 technology roles, shrinking its original staff from about 2,500 to roughly 10 percent, according to earlier reporting.
Reports of sweeping layoffs at Tokopedia, the Indonesian e-commerce company majority-owned by ByteDance, have reignited concerns about a prolonged downturn for Southeast Asia’s tech sector, South China Morning Post reports. Analysts cited by the outlet say the country’s “tech winter” shows few signs of easing and that further restructuring could affect Tokopedia’s future direction.
The outlet points to earlier cuts reported by CNBC Indonesia, including more than 450 technology roles cut earlier this month, leaving just 35 technology workers at Tokopedia. It also says Tokopedia had 1,100 engineers and developers before ByteDance’s acquisition, and that additional layoffs have reduced an original workforce of 2,500 to about 10 percent, mostly across business, trust and safety, and technology divisions.
South China Morning Post also notes that CNBC Indonesia reported ByteDance’s engineering team in China would take over Tokopedia’s technology workload, citing an unnamed source that said the work “will all be done in China.” The story underscores investor and analyst focus on how deeper integration into ByteDance’s ecosystem could shift technology and product decisions outside Indonesia.
On Monday, Stephanie Susilo, executive director of TikTok and Tokopedia, denied the claim of mass layoffs, characterizing the staffing changes as “ongoing workforce restructuring and internal mobility” within the Indonesian organization, according to South China Morning Post.