Bengaluru, May 20: Ride-sharing company Ola Cabs said on Wednesday it will lay off 1,400 of its employees due to business uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic while the revenue has come down by 95 per cent in the past two months.
"The COVID crisis continues to unfold all around us causing unprecedented economic and social destruction. It has also become evident that the coronavirus will not be eliminated any time soon," wrote co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal to all Ola employees.
"In these circumstances, today I write to all of you with the toughest decision I have ever taken -- the need to downsize our organisation and let go of 1,400 of our valued employees," he said.
Aggarwal said the fallout of virus has been very tough for the cab aggregating industry in particular. "The company's revenue has come down by 95 per cent over the past two months," he said.
Initially, he said, the company hoped it would be a short-lived crisis and that its impact would be temporary. "But unfortunately, it is not been a short crisis. And the prognosis ahead for our business is very unclear and uncertain. It is going to take a long time for people to go out and about like before."
With more companies preferring to have a large number of employees work from home, air travel limited to essential trips and vacations being put off for better times, the impact of this crisis is definitely going to be long-drawn, said Aggarwal.
"The world is not going to revert to the pre-COVID era anytime soon. Social distancing, anxiety and an abundance of caution will be the operating principles for everyone," he told employees.
Aggarwal said the crisis necessitates the need to conserve cash aggressively so that Ola is able to invest in opportunities in the future, adding the downsizing exercise has been a very tough and sad decision for the management team to make.
"While we restructure our organisation to the new realities of our business, we are also going to recommit ourselves to strengthening our operational excellence and leverage a lot more technology to improve efficiencies and reduce cost across all parts of our business," he said.
Comments
The grand father of this wicked man who migrated from Central Asia (ARYAN RACE) had impure blood and transmitted to this gutter-mouthed man. Naturally his language, behaviour, mentality, actions etc. are not like a respectable Indians. It is Dravidian culture is the natural Indian culture and not Brahminical Fascist Varnashram Adharma.
This man really needs strong massage with stick and treatment for brain.
This is the leader's status. what do we expect common member and his voters.
God save our country.
Thogadiya,umabarathi,prabhakar bhat,vinaya katyar,muthalik all are tested their tongue and failed,now it is your turn,as a minister of state do something for people,you never got this opertunity in your life before,rather than going to dust bin.
Mr. Anant Kumar...You are a mentally sick man, I can only say its your parents fault that they have not given proper education to you!! Being in a responsible postion you do not know how to respect the people of india!!
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