According to the Kommersant newspaper, Yandex is preparing for a round of layoffs that will affect core areas of its business. The optimization would focus on the Search Services and Artificial Intelligence division, responsible for more than a third of revenues, but with lagging advertising growth. The commercial department and products like Yandex Vzglyad would also be affected. The company argues that it is a reallocation of resources toward projects with more future potential.
Pressure on the technological core: AI and search under review 🤖
This decision puts the sustainability of Yandex's traditional business model, its search engine, under the spotlight in an environment where investment in generative AI requires large expenditures without immediate return. The slower growth of advertising revenues in this division suggests possible market saturation or a change in user habits. The creation of quality control teams to evaluate further cuts indicates a process of deep technical rationalization, prioritizing efficiency over team size.
Resource optimization, or how to say goodbye with an Excel graph 📉
The classic reorientation toward more promising products is a euphemism that never fails. First, they lay off the team that analyzes the market, Yandex Vzglyad, so no one can investigate these movements too much. Then, they form committees to decide where to cut next, in an infinite loop of efficiency. In the end, one imagines that the only secure positions are those of the people who design the presentations with the pretty arrows pointing toward the future.