The staff reduction comes nearly one year after Don’t Panic Labs (DPL) moved into its new office in the Telegraph District in Lincoln. The company celebrated a ribbon cutting for the new office and its 15-year anniversary in April.

“One of our longtime partners recently shifted their strategy which resulted in the sudden cancellation of a large initiative. As a result, we had to make the difficult decision to let some really great people go,” according to Doug Durham, DPL co-founder and managing partner, in an email to SPN. 

An analysis of the DPL website before and after the layoffs showed the team went from 52 to 42 employees following the staff reduction. Most of the employees who were let go were software engineers and developers, in addition to employees who worked in account management, quality assurance and product design. The tenures of the laid-off employees spanned from less than one year to more than nine years at DPL and ranged from junior- to senior-level roles, based on LinkedIn profiles of those impacted.

“Our remaining team of over 40 people remains focused on continuing great work for our partners,” Durham said, “and we are looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”