Another Exchange Slashes 30% Workforce as AI Pivot Deepens Amid Mounting Losses

Gemini’s workforce shrinks to 445 employees as exchange pivots toward AI.

Gemini has reduced its workforce by roughly 30% since the start of 2026, extending earlier layoffs as the crypto exchange pivots toward greater use of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, according to a shareholder letter cited by Bloomberg.

Founded by Tyler Winklevoss and Cameron Winklevoss, Gemini reported that it employed about 445 people as of March 1 and did not provide an operating outlook for 2026 alongside its fourth-quarter results.

Aggressive Layoffs

The latest cuts come after an earlier announcement that the firm would eliminate up to a quarter of its staff, withdraw from the UK, European Union, and Australia, and part ways with several top executives, including its chief operating, financial, and legal officers. Additional US layoffs occurred beyond the initial reduction.

The downsizing also comes as Gemini, which went public on Nasdaq’s Global Select Market last September, is facing financial strain after posting a full-year loss of $585 million. The figure includes unrealized crypto asset losses after losing more than $500 million in the prior year. Fourth-quarter revenue rose nearly 40% year-over-year to about $60 million, but losses widened significantly to $140.8 million from $27 million.

Data from Kaiko revealed that the company operates with less than 1% of global market share, which is relatively small in scale in an industry where larger platforms dominate. By comparison, Coinbase Global Inc. employs approximately 4,951 staff, which is around 11 times more than Gemini, and recorded daily trading volumes nearly 42 times higher in the past 24 hours, based on CoinGecko data.

The broader crypto market downturn has added pressure, as Bitcoin remained down about 44% from its October peak and trading activity was low amid volatility and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Industry-Wide Restructuring

Alongside Gemini, several industry players have downsized their workforce as market conditions remain challenging. For instance, Crypto.com recently slashed 12% of its workforce while citing the need to adapt to AI-driven changes. Algorand reduced its staff by approximately 25%. Meanwhile, OP Labs, a major contributor to the Optimism ecosystem, eliminated around 20 roles. At the same time, Messari is undergoing a leadership shakeup alongside staff cuts.