Auctane laid off employees on Friday, though it would not confirm how many it laid off. The company offers shipping solutions to online merchants under numerous brands including Stamps.com, ShipStation, Endicia, ShipWorks, ShippingEasy, ShipEngine, Packlink, Metapack, and GlobalPost. It also operates Shipsi and in June, acquired Return Rabbit.
When we asked what was behind the decision, and how many people from each division were let go and in what roles, a spokesperson for Auctane provided the following statement to EcommerceBytes:
“Auctane is a global leader in shipping and delivery management technology, and we are the largest company of our kind. We regularly evaluate our teams to drive alignment with our global strategy, especially in a challenging macro-economic environment. We are rescoping roles to ensure we have the right organizational model and capabilities in place, hiring in crucial areas, while reducing our investment in others. As part of this effort, we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with some employees. We take these decisions very seriously and make them with the goal of making the foundation of Auctane stronger.”
EcommerceBytes has heard the layoffs impacted between 9% and 22% of Auctane’s workforce, a number we asked in a follow-up for Auctane to share.
A Zendesk sales director shared on social media on Wednesday: “Auctane is taking their customer service to the next level with Zendesk AI,” but we have no way of knowing if any of the layoffs were related to its decision to use AI.
Private equity company Thoma Bravo acquired Stamps.com for $6.6 billion in 2021, and in a matter of months it took it private and rebranded the company to Auctane. By the spring of 2023, it had overhauled its management team and appointed Albert Ko its new CEO that June.
Amine Khechfe, who cofounded Endicia 36 years ago and had a high profile among sellers, remained at Auctane as its Chief Strategy Officer until retiring in October of 2023, just as the company appointed a new Chief Product Officer and Chief Legal Officer. In January of 2024, it appointed a new Chief Sales Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer.
