‘Fired even before I began’
A brand new hire impacted by Coinbase’s determination to rescind some job presents this week and freeze hiring stated he was blindsided by the transfer.
“I was fired even before I started with the company,” the employee, whose identification was not revealed, told Business Insider.
Coinbase cited “current market conditions and ongoing business prioritization efforts” in a companywide memo detailing its determination to tug some job presents.
The announcement got here simply two weeks after the embattled cryptocurrency buying and selling agency confirmed a slowdown in hiring throughout a steep downturn within the market.
The newest shift upended the plans of the out-of-luck hire, who advised Insider that he had accepted a Seattle-based position at Coinbase in March and was nonetheless going by means of the pre-employment course of as just lately as final week.
But the international scholar obtained an e-mail Friday revealing the provide had been rescinded — after he had already signed a lease in Seattle. He stated he confronted potential charges if he backed out of the settlement. Additionally, the employee faces a restricted timeframe to discover a new gig as a result of he’s on a visa.
“I wanted to join Coinbase because it was so big and competitive and even joined Fortune 500, but now I know how volatile and unpredictable cryptocurrency can be, I’m done with it,” the employee advised Insider.
A Coinbase spokesperson advised The Post that the choice to rescind presents and pause hiring was “extraordinarily difficult,” however it “made sense for us to take stronger action to manage our expenses given how quickly we were ramping hiring.”
“As we said in our note to employees, we will continue to evaluate all of our options to responsibly navigate Coinbase through the current cycle,” the spokesperson added.
In the memo to workers, Coinbase’s chief folks officer LJ Brock stated inside discussions made it clear the company wanted “to take more stringent measures to slow our headcount growth.”
Brock stated the hiring pause will prolong “for the foreseeable future” and embody job backfills for departing workers, except they’re essential to the company’s operations.
Coinbase may also “rescind a number of accepted offers,” with impacted staff knowledgeable by e-mail.
“This decision is not a reflection on the highly talented people we had extended job offers to,” Brock stated. “We will apply our generous severance philosophy to offset the financial impact of this decision.”
Coinbase stated it will create a “talent hub” to help affected candidates with job placement, resume opinions, interview teaching and different wants. It’s unclear what number of presents have been rescinded.
“We always knew crypto would be volatile, but that volatility alongside larger economic factors may test the company, and us personally, in new ways,” Brock added. “If we’re flexible and resilient, and remain focused on the long term, Coinbase will come out stronger on the other side.”
The hiring freeze was the most recent troubling signal for Coinbase. The company’s stock plunged final month after a weak first-quarter earnings report and a warning that the crypto holdings of its prospects may very well be in danger if it goes bankrupt.
Later, CEO Brian Armstrong posted a collection of tweets wherein he addressed the scenario and stated the company was at “no risk of bankruptcy.”
Coinbase isn’t the one company dialing again on its hiring plans as a result of tough market circumstances.
Twitter has additionally rescinded some job presents and paused hiring in current days because it strikes ahead with negotiations associated to Elon Musk’s takeover bid of the company.
And earlier this week, one other buying and selling hub, Gemini, revealed it will lower 10% of its workers as a result of what co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss described because the onset of “crypto winter.”
Bitcoin is buying and selling beneath $30,000 this week, down from its all-time excessive of $69,000 achieved final November.
