AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT INVITAE (12/17/23)

DECEMBER 17, 2023 — 15% REDUCTION IN WORKFORCE - 255 EMPLOYEES TARGETED

The company has announced strategic changes to streamline operations and reduce operating cash burn. The company has divested the assets of Ciitizen and announced strategic cost cuts, which will include a workforce reduction and other operating expense reductions.

Ciitizen Divestiture — Ciitizen is a patient-centric consumer health tech platform that helps patients collect, organize, store and share their medical records digitally. With the divestiture, the Ciitizen assets have been transferred to a new entity established by the leadership team of the Ciitizen business and funded by a group of venture capital investors. Invitae maintains a minority equity interest in this newly formed company. Invitae and the new company intend to collaborate on key initiatives as the Ciitizen platform expands globally.

Invitae continues to operate its core genetics data business, including sponsored testing programs, biopharma research services, and rare disease discovery.

“We continue to believe that patient-consented data is growing in importance for improving patient care and that this new company will be able to take the platform to the next level,” said Ken Knight, president and chief executive officer of Invitae. “Ciitizen’s direct relationships with patients are at the heart of our platform, and Ciitizen has proven its benefits to patients living with rare diseases,” said Farid Vij, prior Ciitizen general manager at Invitae and chief executive officer of the new company. “We’re grateful for the incredible support from Invitae and our investors, and we are excited to continue to serve more patients and their families. We remain dedicated to working closely with the patient advocacy groups and industry partners in the rare disease community, and we look forward to exploring opportunities by partnering with Invitae.”

Strategic Operating Expense Reductions

Today, the company also implemented efforts to significantly reduce its operating expenses via workforce reduction and other cost-saving initiatives, which include streamlining processes across its core platforms and optimizing its technology, professional services, and other spending.

AUGUST 4, 2022 — Original post

San Francisco, California-based Invitae, a biotechnology company specializing in genetic testing, has announced a restructuring and cost-cutting effort to accelerate its move toward being cash flow positive and attract future investment by eliminating non-core or underperforming assets, including the withdrawal from certain foreign countries where genetic testing has been declining, and consolidating office and laboratory spaces.

The restructuring will impact over 1,000 employees.

According to Invitae CEO Kenneth Knight, “These adjustments will meaningfully extend our cash runway and accelerate the pursuit of our long-term growth targets and positive cash flow, Most importantly, the plan reaffirms our commitment to leading the way in shaping the future of medicine through powerful genomic tools.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? LAYOFFS AT ATHERSYS

Cleveland, Ohio-based Athersys, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel and proprietary drug therapies, has announced a corporate restructuring program to reduce costs and prioritize spending on promising projects.

The restructuring anticipates the reduction in force will impact 70% of the current workforce, approximately 71 employees, commencing June 2022.

According to Athersys CEO, "The decision to realign our resources and restructure our organization was difficult but will help us focus on the critical programs that are expected to drive our future growth. We remain excited by the potential of MultiStem to benefit patients in stroke as well as other critical care areas. I’m confident that our revised strategy and focus, executed by the remaining committed team, put us on the right path for future opportunities. We are deeply grateful to the employees who are leaving Athersys for their commitment, hard work, and many contributions.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT EXACT SCIENCES (08/07/25)

AUGUST 7, 2025 — 4% REDUCTION IN FORCE

The company announced plans to lay off approximately 200 employees, including 80 at its Madison, Wisconsin headquarters and 120 remote workers across the state. Various departments, including finance, HR, legal, and IT, will be impacted.

According to the company, the layoffs are part of an initiative to reorganize certain support functions to better meet growing, worldwide demand.

NOVEMBER 12, 2022 — 350 LAYOFFS IN THE SECOND ROUND

The company has announced the second round of layoffs that will impact 350 employees, including 250 located in Wisconsin.

According to a company spokesperson, “For many years, our company has focused on investing to support rapid growth, both organically and through acquisition, and we have made great strides in achieving this mission."

"The impact of inflation, market volatility, and prioritization of the programs that will have the greatest impact on improving cancer care has resulted in the need to allocate our workforce and resources more closely to our highest priority programs. We’ve also taken steps to simplify our organizational structure to improve communication and operational efficiencies. This will result in a reduction of approximately 5% of our workforce.”

JUNE 2, 2022 — Original post…

Madison, Wisconsin-based Exact Sciences, a biotechnology company specializing in molecular diagnostics for the detection of early-stage cancers, has announced a cost-cutting initiative and a realignment of its workforce.

The reduction in force will impact 230 employees, with approximately 50 based in Wisconsin.

According to a company spokesperson, "Our company has grown rapidly over the past several years, both organically and through acquisitions, and has made great strides in achieving this mission.

However, headwinds like inflation as well as a need to prioritize the programs that will have the greatest impact on improving cancer care have resulted in aligning our workforce and resources closer to our highest-impact programs.

We anticipate that this will result in a small reduction of approximately 3% of our global employee base. We will do everything we can to support our impacted teammates with utmost empathy and thoughtfulness."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?