Traveloka quietly lays off staff across markets as priorities shift

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Hello reader,

What do you think is the worst feeling that a reporter can experience?

For me, it has been reaching out to employees who have recently been laid off. It feels insensitive to ask them too many questions when they’re going through tough times.

But it’s also our job to keep readers updated on the ecosystem.

Dozens of firms, big and small, have been slashing jobs to make it through the economic meltdown.

In our first Big Story this week, my colleague, Budi, writes about one such company and the quiet layoffs that its employees are facing. Southeast Asia’s online travel unicorn Traveloka has been downsizing its workforce across different markets since January, with several affected employees staying “silent” after losing their jobs.

Speaking of super apps in Southeast Asia, in a second Big Story, my colleague, Simon, details how GoTo (GOTO, JK) and Grab (GRAB, NSDQ) match up against their listed peers globally.

— Samreen

THE BIG STORIES

Image credit: Timmy Loen

1️⃣ ‘Silent’ layoffs at Traveloka following COO’s departure
Employees across Indonesia and Singapore, including those in managerial positions, were axed by the Indonesian unicorn.

2️⃣ Benchmarking GoTo and Grab against global peers
This gives us a sense of how Southeast Asia’s super apps are faring although the comparisons aren’t always apples to apples.

3 Trends to keep an eye on

Hot stocks, earnings reports, restructuring, activist investor pressure and more.

2 Eye-popping numbers

The one you didn’t see coming