« on: January 03, 2024, 08:23:20 am »
https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/02/short-term-rental-provider-frontdesk-lays-off-entire-staff-on-the-verge-of-shutting-down/amp/?fbclid=IwAR2P9g1jQkRvHOvQ4YYMYRnVYCwnyXoXfsfTefkmEo6YfQjtN38E5v8Q_t8Another proptech startup has run into trouble.
Frontdesk, a startup that managed more than 1,000 furnished apartments across the United States, laid off its entire 200-person workforce Tuesday after attempts to raise more capital failed, TechCrunch exclusively learned from sources familiar with internal happenings at the company. The mass layoff comes just seven months after the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based startup acquired smaller rival Zencity.
The layoffs, which included full-time, part-time workers and contractors, occurred Tuesday afternoon during “a two-minute Google Meet call,” according to one employee who was among those attending the virtual meeting.
During that call, Frontdesk CEO Jesse DePinto told employees that Frontdesk would be filing for a state receivership, an alternative to bankruptcy, according to the sources.
The company has not responded to a request for comment. When calling the number on the company’s website, a recording says: “Currently, Frontdesk is unavailable. If you have a reservation, please seek alternative accommodations and expect to be contacted within the next two weeks.” TechCrunch will update the article if the company responds.
EXCERPT
I have a friend who worked for this company, and she says that the actual termination call was even more brutal than described in the article. All virtual meeting cameras and mics were shut off, and all chat was closed. When people clicked over to ask about it in Slack, that channel was shut down too. The CEO read a script he had clearly gotten assistance from ChatGPT to write. It lasted 2 minutes. No information was given other than that nobody had a job anymore, and then that was that.
Apparently lots of travelers who had used that service over Christmas are now stranded, and desperately calling other companies like Expedia trying to get home.
Logged
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"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." ---George Orwell
