Interview

April 3, 2023

Startups in Europe have laid off over 40k people. Five tell their stories

The industry’s sweeping job cuts have had life-changing effects on Europe’s startup employees


Europe has not been spared from tech’s sweeping layoffs. Since March 2022, at least 42k people have lost their jobs. 

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A Sifted suggestion. Photo: Meg Boulden / Unsplash
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An image of some wooden steps leading down to a beach under a cloudy sky
“For me, this picture symbolises the path to peace I’m currently carving out for myself, as I quit my job to focus on that for a while” — The coast of the Baltic sea in Latvia
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“I took the attached picture years ago at an airport (a man was wearing a jacket with a patch). It helps me keep moving forward in my own creative journey and in my career. It could help others who were laid off stay positive and focus on what's ahead.”
“I took the attached picture years ago at an airport (a man was wearing a jacket with a patch). It helps me keep moving forward in my own creative journey and in my career. It could help others who were laid off stay positive and focus on what's ahead.”
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<w>— Jxbganze, Mjwkop</g>
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Paul and Nika, cofounders of Wine Alphabet
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<z>— Pgtt &tzs; Ling, oixhhmdk ey jqga gsv lhvwweib. Oeggsc (gmc eom)</l>

Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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