Shopee cuts hundreds of developer roles globally as parent company Sea sharpens focus on AI

The layoffs, which include quality assurance roles, come as Sea reviews staffing needs and invests more heavily in AI across its e-commerce operations.

Sea's e-commerce arm Shopee is cutting hundreds of developer jobs globally, according to a report by The Edge citing Bloomberg.

The reductions began this week and amount to around 8% of Shopee’s developer workforce, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The cuts affect roles including quality assurance, and further reductions may follow, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

According to the media reports, it remains unclear whether the layoffs are directly linked to Sea’s artificial intelligence initiatives. However, the move comes as technology companies globally reassess staffing levels while investing in AI tools and services.

A Sea spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company regularly reviews and adjusts its staffing needs.

"These decisions are always made after careful consideration. For colleagues affected by any changes, we are committed to providing support during this period of transition," the spokesperson said.

As further reported, Sea, which operates Shopee and the Garena gaming platform, has been making structural changes after Chief Executive Officer Forrest Li said the company could potentially reach a trillion-dollar market capitalisation if it doubled down on AI.

HRO has reached out to Sea for a statement, and will update this story once received.

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