Sea Ltd’s Shopee has started cutting hundreds of developer jobs globally, affecting about 8% of its developer workforce, including quality assurance roles.

Sea, the Singapore-based company behind Shopee and gaming business Garena, said it regularly reviews staffing needs and will support affected employees.

The move follows a broader retrenchment in 2022.

At that time, Sea laid off more than 7,000 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, including Shopee staff in Indonesia.

In Sea’s latest available quarterly results, revenue rose 38.3% year on year to US$6 billion in the third quarter of 2025.

Net income reached US$375 million, while Shopee’s adjusted EBITDA rose to US$186.1 million. Research and development spending fell 5.2%.

Sea and Google said on February 19 they would develop AI tools across Garena, Shopee, and Monee.

The partnership including an agentic AI shopping prototype for product discovery, engagement, and transactions.

It was unclear whether the layoffs were tied to that effort.

A DBS note said Shopee is prioritizing market share amid competition.

The bank forecasts about 25% gross merchandise value growth in 2026.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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