Chicago, Illinois-based Groupon, an e-commerce platform that provides local merchants with discounts to its users via physical and digital coupons, has announced its intention to continue its restructuring to rebuild itself as an "AI-native" company.
The restructuring will affect about 400 employees and contractors and is scheduled for the third quarter.
According to a spokesperson, “These are layoffs across the globe, and they’re operational, and it’s to make sure that we are at the forefront of this. The small businesses we serve will be competing with AI. We need to know not just how to use it ourselves, but also how to show our merchants how to use it as an actual partner. We are not fully replacing our sales team. We are building in AI layers. This is about how work gets done, not headcount targets, and we are redesigning our workflows so AI agents handle operational work end-to-end, and people focus on judgment, strategy, and relationships.”
What they told the SEC, "On May 21, 2026, the Board of Directors of Groupon approved a restructuring plan relating to the Company’s previously announced strategy to rebuild the Company as an AI-native company and better deliver on our mission, serving both customers and merchants. The initial phase of these restructuring actions is expected to include an overall reduction of up to 400 positions globally, including employees and contractors, with a majority of these reductions expected to occur by the end of the third quarter of 2026."
Change is constant, and it's coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?