Patreon downscales, laying off 17% their global workforce

Patreon has laid off nearly 17 percent of its global workforce, a total of 80 employees. It has also closed down its offices in Dublin and Berlin. The content creator subscription service saw a major spike in popularity amongst creators and fans during lockdown, with many artists using Patreon as a platform to generate revenue at a time when live shows were not possible. A number of high profile electronic music acts make use of the service, including Martyn and Speedy J. 

In a blog post, Patreon CEO and co-founder Jack Conte notes that the reason behind the dramatic downscaling is the ‘volatility’ of the Covid-19 pandemic. Citing Patreon’s exponential growth in popularity during the global lockdown, Conte noted that “in response, we built an operating plan to support this outsized growth,” but that this plan is “no longer the right path forward for Patreon.” Conte also said that he takes “full responsibility for choosing that original path forward, and for the changes today, which will be very difficult for our team.”

Since emerging in 2013, Patreon has offered creators the opportunity to generate income by building a community of subscribers for their work. Since its inception, Patreon now boasts over six million patrons and its creators have made a combined estimate of around $2 billion.