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Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

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Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#11

They had 2800 employees?! Why? Their product is a home bike with a screen. Plus some developers and their TV crews, I don't see how you can get to such a number

Investors wanted to see the company grow, and butts-in-the-seats is one of the easier metrics to grow.

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#12

They had 2800 employees?! Why? Their product is a home bike with a screen. Plus some developers and their TV crews, I don't see how you can get to such a number

Look at how quickly they are (were?) growing. Lots of those employees were probably working on the "next" thing, whether that's another bike or a new device or software product. It's not like all they're doing is maintaining their current iteration of bike with TV screen..

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#13
I think we’re starting to see a bit of “post pandemic” economic factors and that explains some of the shake up on Wall Street as of late. I always felt this about Peloton more than anything though, that it was not going to be able to sustain growth numbers as the pandemic when either of these came to pass:

1) ended officially

2) waned on to the point that it became "normalized" in how to handle day to day activities out

Largely, I think some things that were popular in the pandemic got outsized growth through it, may fade in popularity quickly or outright be out of business as people want to resume more normal behaviors they had pre pandemic.

I wonder how Zoom will fare. I think its more sticky than Peloton because everyone is transitioning to remote work for White Collar workers and I don't see that particular bit being given up quite so easily now, we shall see if thats the case over the coming months I think

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#14

They had 2800 employees?! Why? Their product is a home bike with a screen. Plus some developers and their TV crews, I don't see how you can get to such a number

All your comment really shows is how little you know about how many people it takes to run a large business, and that you don't really understand what Peleton do.

Peleton design and manufacture their own equipment, they ship it globally, they have their own buyers and supply chains for that, They also build the tech that runs their business, from the customer portal to the video integration in the products. They make programs that include CGI and motion graphics. They do sales, and support, for nearly 6 million customers. On top of that there's payroll, and admin, and HR, and ... it's a very long list, that requires a lot of people.

We're bad at estimating large numbers so our first impression is usually wrong. It's important to factor that into any reaction to a number that sounds way too high. It's always worth taking a step back and thinking about why it might actually be correct.

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#15
post #14

They had 2800 employees?! Why? Their product is a home bike with a screen. Plus some developers and their TV crews, I don't see how you can get to such a number

All your comment really shows is how little you know about how many people it takes to run a large business, and that you don't really understand what Peleton do. Peleton design and manufacture their own equipment, they ship it globally, they have their own buyers and supply chains for that, They also build the tech that runs their business, from the customer portal to the video integration in the products. They make…

Do they own factories and heavy assets? If they contract out the amount is still absolutely humongous for what they do.

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#16
post #14

They had 2800 employees?! Why? Their product is a home bike with a screen. Plus some developers and their TV crews, I don't see how you can get to such a number

All your comment really shows is how little you know about how many people it takes to run a large business, and that you don't really understand what Peleton do. Peleton design and manufacture their own equipment, they ship it globally, they have their own buyers and supply chains for that, They also build the tech that runs their business, from the customer portal to the video integration in the products. They make…

Just to clarify they are in 4 countries. They also appeared to be doing the last mile delivery in these countries themselves (at least I could confirm in the USA) which probably helped with their premium brand.

That said, I still agree with the above post. Fitbit has 1,600 employees and actually ships globally. This was excessive.

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#18
post #10
post #2

Peloton employed 2,800 people? Doing what?

That's 20% of the workforce so they still employ over 10,000. (Edit: This is incorrect -- see reply below!) Based on a quick scan of glassdoor, I'd guess most of the people are in sales, customer support, bike repair/delivery, etc.

I think you're interpreting that 20% from the article incorrectly. It actually says:

"cutting 2,800 jobs, including approximately 20 per cent of corporate jobs at the New York City company."

The headcount figures for January before this announcement were:

3281 - US

283 - UK and Germany

71 - Taiwan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peloton_Interactive

Re: Peloton replaces CEO and lays off 2,800 people

#19
post #17

Is it just me or is $40 a month too much for the content they provide? I would spend a couple thousand on fancy exercise equipment, or maybe get one as a gift for my parents but the required subscription gives me rent seeking vibes.

I'm pretty well versed in the fitness industry. Peloton, SoulCycle, Mirror value proposition never made any sense to me. With people going back to the office and gyms opening up again, people will want their normal fitness classes, gyms instead.

EDIT: apparently some of you disagree. Change my mind.

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