Sea Ltd’s e-commerce arm Shopee has laid off about 8% of its global developer workforce, impacting hundreds of jobs including quality assurance roles, beginning in the week of June 8 to June 10, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The reductions affect staff across multiple regions, notably including software engineers at its Singapore headquarters [2].
Shopee informed Singapore’s Creative Media and Publishing Union in advance of the workforce adjustments. The union said the early notice enabled it to collaborate with management to better support affected employees during the transition [2]. A Shopee spokesperson said, “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” [1]. Another company representative added, “From time to time, departments may make adjustments based on operational and business priorities” [2].
Affected employees in Singapore are receiving an "N+2" severance package. This package provides one month’s salary for each year of service plus an additional two months’ pay [2].
The job cuts come as Shopee’s parent company, Sea Ltd, pursues a strategic pivot to artificial intelligence. The plan aims to embed AI capabilities across its business to accelerate growth [1, 3]. Sea announced a partnership with Alphabet’s Google in February 2026 to integrate AI technologies such as AI shopping agents into Shopee’s platform [1, 3]. Sea’s CEO Forrest Li has said that doubling down on AI could propel the company’s market capitalization to the trillion-US dollar level [1, 3].
Sea's stock valuation has fallen from about US$116 billion in September 2025, pressured by external factors including rising oil prices [1, 3]. The workforce reductions at Shopee are part of broader measures by Sea to streamline operations amid these market challenges.
The company regularly reviews and adjusts staffing in line with business and operational needs, making decisions after careful evaluation [1, 2, 3]. The job cuts initiated June 8–10 mark the latest step in this process.
