London-based startup Stability AI has made fresh layoffs, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
The company burst onto Europe’s AI landscape in October 2022 when it raised a $101m Series A from high-profile investors Lightspeed and Coatue, off the back of the release of the popular image generation model Stable Diffusion, which it helped finance.
The news was announced to staff last night via email. It will see all “non-essential” UK staff — the “majority” of the team working in the country — leave Stability, according to one source who, like others in this article, has chosen to remain anonymous to protect relationships.
Sifted has contacted Stability for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
The sweeping round of layoffs follows a period of turbulence at the company. Just under a month ago, cofounder Emad Mostaque stepped down from his position as CEO and his position on the board of directors. He has been replaced by COO Shan Shan Wong and CTO Christian Laforte as interim “co-CEOs.”
Also in March, one of the company’s most senior technical hires — Robin Rombach, one of the original developers of the image generation model Stable Diffusion — quit the company, and long-standing CTO Thomas Mason was also quietly replaced.
Over the past 12 months more than 10 senior hires have left the company.
