Severance and related costs could reach $150 million as the online marketplace reports renewed growth
eBay Inc. is cutting about 9% of its global workforce, or roughly 1,000 jobs, in its second round of layoffs this year, even as the online marketplace reports renewed growth.
Jamie Iannone, CEO of San Jose, California-based eBay, told employees in an internal memo reviewed by Reuters that the company was simplifying operations and redirecting resources toward its fastest-growing areas. The company informed staff on Tuesday, according to its filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and confirmed the plan publicly on Thursday.
A second round of layoffs in one year
In that filing, eBay said it expects pretax restructuring charges of $130 million to $150 million, mostly tied to severance and post-employment benefits. The company said most of the charges will be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2026 and will lead to future cash spending. The filing also said the employee actions should be substantially complete by the end of the first quarter of 2027, subject to local law and consultation requirements.
That last condition suggests the reductions won’t all move on the same timeline across the company’s markets. The reports reviewed for this story didn’t say which teams or countries are affected.
eBay had 12,300 employees at the end of 2025. A spokesperson confirmed that roughly 1,000 employees will be affected this time. Add the roughly 800 jobs eliminated in February, about 6% of staff at the time, and the two rounds total about 1,800 positions this year. The February cuts were aimed at streamlining operations and followed the company’s $1.2 billion acquisition of Depop.
eBay also cut jobs in early 2023 and early 2024. AFP reported that executives made no mention of job cuts when they presented first- and second-quarter results this year.
The spokesperson said the move is meant to keep the company on firm footing while it points teams and resources at its top strategic priorities. The spokesperson added that eBay is “committed to supporting them through this transition with care and respect.”
Cuts arrive after a rebound and a takeover bid
After several difficult years of near-stagnant revenue, eBay returned to growth in 2025 and picked up speed in the first half of 2026. The company also said it expects third-quarter results above the forecast it issued with its August earnings report.
The company has been spending on expansion, too. Depop, the secondhand fashion marketplace, is expected to help eBay compete with Vinted, a Lithuanian rival expanding in the U.S.
A takeover approach added scrutiny earlier this year. GameStop made an unsolicited offer in early May that valued eBay at $55.5 billion, and its chief executive argued the company was poorly managed and not innovative enough. eBay’s board rejected the bid as investors questioned how the deal would be financed.
Shares fell sharply before the market opened on Wednesday after Reuters first reported the cuts, but recovered to little changed.
What repeated rounds mean for HR teams
Layoffs overall are running below last year’s pace. U.S. employers announced 573,195 job cuts through September, down 39% from the same period in 2025, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Technology accounts for 29% of all cuts announced this year, more than any other industry, Challenger said.
Against that backdrop, a company cutting twice in a year while its revenue grows raises its own people questions. HRD America has examined the toll repeated layoffs take on the employees who stay, and has reported on research showing workers often hear about cuts through gossip before HR says a word. Cutting during a growth period adds another communication task, one HRD America explored in its look at Robinhood’s layoff memo and cuts at growing companies.
eBay is scheduled to report third-quarter results next Wednesday. The call may show how the company frames the restructuring for investors, and whether it says more about where the cuts fall.
