Forbes learned the details of large-scale layoffs at VK

As Forbes interlocutors told us, the section of the VK corporate website, which contains data on the start and end of employees’ work, has not been available since the beginning of October. Previously, it was said that on September 28, 59 people left the company, on September 30, one, on October 1, 207, and on October 2, several dozen more. On October 2, access to the information was closed, so the data is incomplete.

According to sources, VK management does not discuss layoffs with staff. “It seems like management is thinking, ‘If we pretend nothing is happening, everything will work itself out,'” said one laid-off employee. Former colleagues are depressed and an atmosphere of “silence and silence” reigns in the company, he added.

It is difficult to judge the true magnitude of the cuts, but Forbes interlocutors believe that between 300 and 500 people have been laid off and the process continues. In one of the work chats, information appeared that “2,500 people are leaving,” that is, 16% of the workforce, the publication writes.

Human resources experts, in a conversation with Forbes, suggested that VK would deny the cuts, calling them layoffs for low performance indicators. Meanwhile, large Russian companies “started receiving resumes from former VK employees,” the publication’s source in one of the IT corporations highlighted.

On October 4, the Telegram channel “Caution, News” reported on a “wave of layoffs” in VK, referring to the company’s employees. Channel sources said that the number of layoffs has already reached 300 people “and will continue to grow.” They noted that the layoffs may be related to “the need to optimize costs.”

Forbes interlocutors also suggested that the layoffs are related to VK’s lack of profitability and the desire to reduce costs. The company’s net losses for 2-23 years amounted to 34.3 billion rubles. The holding took fifth place in the ranking of the least profitable companies in Russia according to Forbes.

The VK press service told RB.RU that the information about the dismissals was false. “VK does not carry out nor does it plan to carry out layoffs. The number of VK employees has not changed since the beginning of 2024 and amounts to about 15 thousand people. At the moment at VK there are dozens of vacant positions in different areas,” said a representative of the holding company.