Marketing teams weren’t spared from LinkedIn’s layoffs on Wednesday.
Jessica Jensen, LinkedIn’s chief marketing and strategy officer, said in an email that the company is cutting roles “across our teams” to reduce costs.
“Growth is becoming more competitive, infrastructure costs continue to rise, and AI is reshaping the way work gets done,” Jensen’s email, seen by Business Insider, said. “So we’re at a point where the work we do matters and is valued deeply, and we need to reduce our marketing costs to ensure LinkedIn is positioned for the future we’re building.”
It’s unclear exactly how many members of LinkedIn’s marketing team were cut. A LinkedIn spokesperson declined to provide specific numbers, telling Business Insider that the company is implementing “organizational changes” to best position itself for future success.
Jensen’s memo said the marketing team is cutting back on paid media spending. Jensen didn’t give a specific example, but paid media typically means paying for Google Ads or other platforms for promotion.
LinkedIn plans to employ unspecified “AI tools and workflows” to help staff get work done faster.
LinkedIn’s product organization has also made changes to its operations and has been affected by layoffs.
These layoffs put LinkedIn squarely in line with a long list of tech companies that are encouraging employees to use AI as they reduce headcounts. Cisco on Wednesday announced an AI-driven reorganization that will affect approximately 4,000 roles. Companies like Coinbase and Block also cited improved productivity through AI as part of the rationale for reducing their workforce earlier this year.
LinkedIn is investing in AI in other ways as well. The company has launched an “AI job market” where people can earn money by training AI chatbots to become better at everything from coding to nursing to finance, Business Insider previously reported.
The full memo sent by Jensen on Wednesday is below.
Dear Team, First of all, I would like to say that this team is doing an extraordinary job. You have pushed our brand into new creative realms, delivered results that drive business growth, and are recognized and influential in the industry. thank you. At the same time, we are engaging in moments that require more focus and intentionality. Growth is becoming more competitive, infrastructure costs continue to rise, and AI is reshaping how work gets done. So we’re at a point where our work matters and is deeply valued, and we need to reduce our marketing costs to ensure LinkedIn is positioned for the future we’re building. With this in mind, we’re making some organizational changes, including reducing roles across the team. If your role is part of a reduction or proposed reduction in EMEA and APAC, you will receive a calendar invitation titled “Required Attendance: Marketing Organization Update” within the next hour. If you have not received this exact invitation, your role will not be part of the reduction or proposed reduction. In more detail, organizational change spans three areas: First, we will strengthen our financial focus. In addition to the challenging role reductions we are announcing today, we are also reducing spending on paid media and programming while continuing to invest in areas where we expect the highest ROI. It’s about using your resources more intentionally and creating space to fund the work that drives your business most. Second, focus your investments where you can grow and achieve high ROI over 27 years. This includes accelerating the growth of our LMS, evolving our agent recruitment solutions, and building strong momentum with our premium and small business services. We will prioritize the consumer experience that most directly drives engagement and revenue, focus our marketing investments in the US and UK, and maintain our market leadership in LSS as we continue to enhance our offerings. Third, set up your team for success. We continue to bring together teams doing similar work in the Creative CoE, Scaled Solutions Organization, and Small Business Marketing. We will also adopt new AI-enabled tools and workflows that enable human creativity and decision-making to become faster and more powerful. To those who are leaving LinkedIn, we want to thank you for the care, creativity, and commitment you bring to our culture and brand. You have made a lasting impact. We are deeply grateful. For those of you who remain, please join me in supporting our departing colleagues as they take the next step. Tomorrow we will gather for a meeting of the entire marketing team. So I’ll explain more clearly and give you an opportunity to ask questions. You can read more about the changes within each team in our Marketing Hub. It also includes links to updates that GBO, Product, and Engineering are sharing today. Your leader will provide more information about what’s going on with the team at a meeting later this week. We understand that this level of change can bring uncertainty, but it also allows us to clarify our purpose. The world needs LinkedIn now more than ever. These are difficult choices, but they allow us to focus our work to make a short- and long-term impact. Please take the time you need to process this news and give each other space at this time. Thank you for all you do for LinkedIn and each other. jessica
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