AM I NEXT? NO LOVE GROUPON

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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT BAKER & TAYLOR

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Baker & Taylor, a distributor of books to public and academic libraries, has announced it would begin shutting down operations, with full closure of the company by January 2026, due to a failed sale to Oak Brook, Illinois-based ReaderLink Distribution Services, the largest full-service distributor of hardcover, trade, and paperback books to non-trade channel booksellers in North America

The closure will impact 520 employees, including 318 employees in the B&T distribution center in Momence, Illinois. Sixty-two employees will remain until December 22, 2025, and a “post–wind down” group of three employees will be let go on January 3, 2026.

According to a company spokesperson, “Despite Baker & Taylor’s subsequent efforts, it was unsuccessful in seeking a path to continue its business operations. The closure of its facilities has resulted from the unforeseen termination of a sale transaction which was intended to convey Baker & Taylor’s assets and operations to a purchaser, and which would have resulted in the continuing employment of all Baker & Taylor employees.”

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, 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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT AWAY

New York, New York-based Away, a direct-to-consumer luggage and travel accessories company, has announced it is reducing its workforce by 25%, reorganizing its executive team, and doubling down on new product development in an effort to prioritize profitability.

The reduction in force will impact an unknown number of employees and follows an 8% reduction in May 2023.

Co-founder and CEO Jen Rubio noted, "We're reconfiguring the traditional exec team structure in order to promote better decision-making. What I think this is doing is setting us up to be able to grow the right teams to work on the right projects. Job cuts aren't targeted at any department in particular, but the shift is intended to help the company invest more in brand and product. We are always looking for the next big thing that can create new business, and the only way to do that is to continually develop new products. Maybe a big hit comes out of that and maybe a lot of stuff we develop doesn't even get launched. What I always tell the team is that if we don't do things that make us uncomfortable, and then we find ourselves in a position of having to do it, it'll be much more painful. What do we need to change to stay ahead? A big part of what we're going through is this notion that we really have to disrupt ourselves before someone disrupts us."

"Disruption has always been at the core of our company’s DNA. Away is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality travel products and experiences to our customers, and we believe that these steps will better position us to continue to be an innovative leader in the category.”

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. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. 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?