Austin-Based Rooster Teeth Lays Off 13 Percent Of Staff

AUSTIN, TX — Rooster Teeth — the company that annually stages the popular RTX Austin convention in Austin — announced it's laid off 13 percent of its staff.

The move was revealed in a blog post Thursday by CEO Matt Hullum who stressed the 50 layoffs were not based on performance issues. While acknowledging the cuts, Hullum didn't make clear what led to the staff reduction.

"Today has been a tough day at Rooster Teeth, and is unlike any other moment of organizational change we have experienced together," the CEO wrote. "As we looked ahead at all of our upcoming opportunities and challenges, we had to make some difficult decisions about how we are organized. Unfortunately, this meant that earlier today we reduced the size of our team by approximately 13 percent overall. This decision is not reflective of anyone’s individual performance, and we’re thankful for all that our former colleagues have contributed. We will be doing everything we can to ease their transition, including helping them find their next opportunities."

In addition to Austin, the RTX Austin gaming and Internet convention that draws thousands of enthusiasts to the Austin Convention Center each year also is staged in Sydney, Australia, and London.

In its report on the layoffs, the tech newsletterAustin Inno hinted at market forces that may have led to the cuts in a path that is labyrinthine: "It was acquired by Fullscreen in 2014. Fullscreen was acquired by Otter Media Holdings in 2018. Otter got scooped up by AT&T last year and added it to the WarnerMedia division, which triggered a layoff of 10% of the overall Otter staff."