Twilio Lays off 11% of Its Staff: The Drawbacks of Growing Too Fast

Abstract

In September 2022, Twilio, a cloud-based communications company, announced that it would lay off 11% of its staff. The company was forced to take such measures after misjudging growth during the coronavirus pandemic and losing sight of its key priorities. Apart from threatening the job security of hundreds of Twilio staff, CEO Jeff Lawson’s efforts to restructure the company have come at a high price of USD 70–90 million. This case study explores the impact of growing too quickly in an unstable economy and taking uncalculated risks. Was scaling up at a rapid pace necessary for Twilio to achieve its full potential?