The company said that it's cutting 6 percent of its global workforce.
CEO Daniel Ek had announced the restructuring in a message to employees that was also posted online. As part of the revamp involving a management reshuffle, “and to bring our costs more in line, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our number of employees," Ek wrote.
Also Read: Helios Capital's Samir Arora calls ongoing layoffs 'Fair trade off'; here's why
With massive layoffs, a significantly large number of Indian IT professionals, who are on non-immigrant work visas like H-1B are L1 and are now scrambling for options to stay in the US. They are now struggling to find a new job in the stipulated few months time that they get under these foreign work visas after losing their jobs and change their visa status as well.
A software engineer who was working in Spotify has shared a heartfelt note after being laid off by the company. Mounika G wrote that she joined the company in September 2021.
In a post shared on LinkedIn, she also shared a picture of her on the first day joining of Spotify.
She wrote, “Impacted by Spotify layoffs."
“I don't think I have the heart to write this yet, yesterday was my last day at Spotify," she wrote.
She further added, “It feels like a bad dream I should wake up from. I kept waiting for an email saying there has been a mistake."
She further said that she now has 60 days to land a new role to stay in the US and to hold her visa status.
“If you know of anyone looking for data engineering/software engineering roles, please refer my name. Finally, it has been a 1.5 year tenure at Spotify and I am incredibly grateful that Spotify took a chance on me. I had the pleasure to work with some talented folks who have been nothing but kind to me in my learning process. This picture was my first day at Spotify and I was still in wonder how my journey led me to that place."
As the saying goes, the only way is through and I will get through this stronger and more resilient. Looking forward to my next adventure," she concluded.
Meanwhile, The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has urged the Biden administration to extend H-1B and L1/5 grace periods, following layoffs in the tech sector that have rendered thousands of Indian-American IT professionals jobless.
The Indian IT professionals which make up a large proportion of the recipients of H-1B and other work visas many of whom are scrambling to find new jobs within the stipulated period under their work visas following the termination of their employment to stay in the country.
The US-based non-profit organization has appealed to the Biden administration to extend the two months grace period to at least to six months and the 10 days grace period to at least two months.
Earlier on 25 January, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference on Tuesday said that US President Joe Biden understands first-hand the crushing impact losing a job can have on a family.
Jean-Pierre assured that President Biden would do everything to make sure the US economy works for everyone.
“He's (Biden) is going to do everything that he can to make sure this is an economy that works for everyone, that works from the bottom up, middle out, and that's what you've seen from his economic plans," she said.
(With inputs from agencies)
