A tough moment and the road ahead

Autonauts,

This is a hard message to write.

Over the past few weeks, we have had to make the difficult decision to part ways with around 200 of our teammates across various functions. Every person impacted gave this company their time, energy, and belief. That matters deeply, and we are genuinely grateful.

This is not about how hard someone worked. This is about the bets we placed and where we got it wrong.

More than performance, this is about structure. 

We’ve always believed in moving fast. We’ve always pushed to build big. But the hard truth is: speed without enough clarity is expensive. And when the math doesn’t add up, it is on us to reset. 

Over the last few months, we realised that some projects did not deliver what we expected. Some roles were added too early. A few hypotheses simply didn’t hold when tested. And in some cases, we couldn’t offer the kind of growth or learning that people truly deserve.

It is easy to blame the market or external factors. But the responsibility is ours. When the plan doesn’t work, you don’t blame the players, you take responsibility, and change the plan.

Yes, we made mistakes. 

I wish we hadn’t, but when you're building something hard, failures are part of the journey. The most challenging part is when those failures affect our teammates. That’s not easy to accept.

But I truly believe this: CARS24 and our Autonauts get stronger with every experience. Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.

So we are course-correcting now. Fewer things, done better. That’s the shift. It may sound obvious, but when you’re in motion constantly, it’s easy to lose balance. 

The exercise is now behind us.

From here, we focus entirely on rebuilding stronger, with clarity and care.

You are not alone. We are here to help you land on your feet, and to walk with you through this transition.

To those impacted: We’re here for you, offering severance support, resume and LinkedIn assistance, mentorship, emotional wellness resources, and access to open roles within our network. Your managers and people team have already reached out to you.

To those still here: I know this shakes confidence. Please don’t hold back. Speak your mind. Share what’s heavy. Let’s walk through this together. I’ll do my best to answer every question.

Wherever people go from here, I hope one thing stays true: That we each get to do work that pushes us, grows us, and matters.

Today, more than ever, our values are not abstract words, they are practices.

Let’s keep building that kind of company together.

– Vikram

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FAQs

Q: How many people were impacted by this decision?

Around 200 autonauts across a few specific functions. Impacted individuals have already been communicated with personally.

Q: Is this part of a larger cost-cutting exercise?

No. This is not about reducing costs for the sake of it. This is about aligning the team and structure with our long-term goals, and correcting where we’ve lost focus.

Q: Are more layoffs expected?

At this time, no. This was a specific, intentional reset, not the beginning of a rolling plan.

Q: What should I do if someone on my team is affected?

Reach out. Check in. And help however you can, be it referrals, recommendations, or just being available. The best thing we can do right now is act with humanity and urgency.

Q: I’ve been affected. How do I get help?

• For emotional and wellness support – Reach out to Sukhmani Pal
• For resume and LinkedIn help – Reach out to Shakti Shetty
• For career guidance and referrals – Connect with the People & Culture team

You can also reach out directly to your manager or even to me. If you don’t know where to start, we’ll figure it out together.

Q: Will any internal roles be frozen or removed?

We are being far more rigorous about what gets hired. Every open role will be evaluated carefully, with clear justifications and outcome expectations.