Adidas confirms layoffs at India tech hub, around 20% employees affected

Adidas is reportedly laying off nearly 20 per cent of its India Tech Hub workforce, with software engineers, data scientists and data engineers among those affected.

Adidas is reportedly laying off nearly 50 per cent of employees at its India Tech Hub in Gurugram, with software engineers, data scientists and data engineers among those affected. While Adidas has confirmed that it is cutting roles within its technology organisation in India, the company has not disclosed how many employees are affected.

Update: Earlier this story, based on Wocult report, said that Adidas laid off around 50 per cent of employees from its India Tech Hub. Now, in an updated statement to India Today Tech the company confirms that the job cuts have impacted around 20 per cent of the workforce.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to align our operating model with the evolving needs of the business, we have made the difficult decision to reduce a number of roles within our Technology organisation in India. These changes are intended to simplify parts of our organisation, strengthen critical capabilities, and position adidas for long-term success in a rapidly evolving business and technology environment.

We are deeply grateful to our colleagues for their many contributions to Adidas. We are committed to supporting affected employees with care, respect, and appropriate transition assistance during this time.

India remains a strategically important market for Adidas, and our Technology Hub continues to play a critical role in enabling the company's growth, innovation, and digital transformation ambitions.

The impact of these changes is less than 20% of our India Technology organization. We continue to invest in strategic capabilities and have several open roles across the organisation. Affected employees are encouraged to explore these opportunities as we build the skills and expertise needed for the future."

In a statement to Wocult, Adidas says it has made the “difficult decision” to reduce a number of roles within its Technology organisation in India. The company says the move is part of its ongoing efforts to align its operating model with the changing needs of the business.

“We are deeply grateful to our colleagues for their many contributions to Adidas. We are committed to supporting our impacted colleagues with transition assistance during this time,” the company said in the statement.

The company added that the changes are intended to simplify parts of the organisation, strengthen critical capabilities and position Adidas for long-term success as the business and technology environment evolves, according to the report.

The layoffs are said to affect an estimated 350 or more employees out of a workforce of around 700 at Adidas' India Tech Hub in Gurgaon. That represents roughly 45 to 50 per cent of the hub's workforce, although Adidas has not confirmed this figure. Software engineers, data scientists and data engineers are among the roles reportedly affected.

The report says employees were informed about the cuts during a town hall on September 15. The affected employees are divided into two groups. Some employees received exit letters on the same day, while another group has been asked to remain with the company until December. They are expected to complete handovers to colleagues at other technology hubs while also looking for other roles within the organisation.

Employees who do not secure another role by then have reportedly been told that December 15 will be their last working day. Details about the severance package, notice pay or redeployment support have not been confirmed.

Adidas' Gurugram office houses its local marketing organisation as well as one of its Global Engineering Tech Hubs. The company has also expanded its operations in India in recent years, including opening a Global Business Services centre in Chennai in 2024.