Sendbird

Sendbird's workforce dropped from approximately 400 employees at its peak to 170 by 2026—a 57% reduction. The $1.1B-valued chat API company had raised $100M+ at unicorn status but conducted multiple layoff rounds as it pivoted from communications infrastructure to an "AI customer experience platform" in 2026. Layoff tracking data shows the company's most recent confirmed round was in May 2025. The company repositioned around AI, rebranding its AI Agent to delight.ai while maintaining its core Sendbird messaging platform.

Sendbird achieved ISO/IEC 42001 Certification for Responsible AI Management in October 2025 and AWS Generative AI Competency in November 2025. The company's "Trust OS" makes AI agents "reliable, observable, and accountable at scale." CEO John Kim stated: "Customers don't think in terms of channels and neither should your AI. They just want their issues resolved, fast." The platform's AI moderation combines automated tools with human oversight for community safety, including rule engines for profanity filtering and dashboards for human moderator review.

Sendbird laid off 20% of workforce in 2023.