German AI Translation Tool DeepL Plans 25% Layoffs Citing AI-Driven Structural Shifts

German translation tool startup DeepL announced plans to lay off about 25% of its staff. CEO Jarosław Kutylowski stated the layoffs are due to the "huge structural shift" brought by AI. After legal procedures, DeepL will cut around 250 employees—its current workforce is just over 1,000, focusing on multilingual translation AI software.

Kutylowski noted the company needs to operate more efficiently with AI: fewer layers, faster decisions, and less communication delays in large teams. The tech industry's layoff wave is accelerating—AI tools replace some programmer tasks, and firms shift resources to in-house AI products. Meta planned 10% layoffs last month, while Microsoft offered buyouts to 7% of U.S. staff. Founded in 2017 and based in Cologne, Germany, DeepL once competed with Google Translate and now faces rivals like ChatGPT.