- Stripe accidentally sent an image of a cartoon duck to some staff members in a termination email, BI has learned.
- The company also sent some terminated employees an incorrect termination date.
- Stripe laid off 300 people on Monday, mostly product, engineering and operations workers.
Payment software company Stripe accidentally emailed an image of a cartoon duck to some employees informing them of their layoffs, Business Insider has learned.
The company laid off 300 employees on Monday, or around 3.5% of its workforce. These roles primarily focused on product, engineering and operations, according to a leaked memo obtained by BI.
The image, attached as a PDF, showed a yellow duck with brown feathers on its wing and accompanying text reading “Non-California American Duck.”
The company also sent affected staff an incorrect layoff date in an email.
A screenshot of the duck image was shared on Stripe’s internal Blind group. Blind/Business Insider
A Stripe spokesperson confirmed the duck image and incorrect dates were sent in error and directed BI to a follow-up email from Fly McIntosh, the company’s human resources director.
“I would also like to note that some affected Stripes received a notification error on their personal email accounts Monday evening Pacific Time,” McIntosh wrote.
“I apologize for the error and the confusion it caused,” he added. “Corrected and complete notifications have since been sent to all affected Stripes.”
In another email to staff confirming the layoffs, McIntosh said Stripe still plans to increase its headcount to approximately 10,000 employees by the end of the year.
In an internal Stripe group on the Blind app for professional communities viewed by BI, an employee asked if others had received the duck image.
One person responded that this was the case and that it was another “indication that communications with those fired were completely botched.”
Another employee, apparently joking, wrote: “I wonder if there’s a California duck.” Another employee wrote: “Quick, make a limp emoji with the duck.” »
Stripe, which provides payment software to millions of businesses, has seen other rounds of layoffs in recent years.
A letter shared publicly by Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe The explanation of more than 1,000 job cuts in 2022 was praised by some for its frankness.
Are you a Stripe employee and have ideas to share? Contact journalist Jyoti Mann by email at jmann@businessinsider.com or via Signal at jyotimann.11. Contact us via a non-professional device.
