Trouble in Watopia: Zwift Slashes Staff, Loses Co-CEO in Further Round of Workforce Reductions

Zwift pedaled into a stiff blast of headwinds this week when it confirmed a fresh set of staffer layoffs and broke the news that its co-CEO is stepping away.

A post Monday on the Zwift forums explained that the U.S.-based online training giant is being forced to streamline amid a period of punctured progress.

“We shared with our team this morning that we are making a reduction in force … Eric Min will continue as sole CEO and Kurt Biedler has chosen to resign,” read the statement released Monday.

“Zwift remains a healthy, global business with a passionate community. We have seen accelerated growth over the last year but in the current environment, we must focus on sustainable and efficient growth. Zwift will be more agile and focused on delivering great things for our community.”

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The past year was a problematic one for Zwift.

It made a worldwide 15 percent staff reduction at the start of 2023 and was ousted from its prestigious position as host of the UCI-backed E-Sport world championships in the summer.

The UAE-based MyWhoosh virtual platform instead won the tender through 2026 and has gone on to become the governing body’s main partner for its “IRL” road worlds through the same period.

Zwift also discontinued its once-disruptive Zwift Hub Classic smart trainer this winter and replaced it with the Wahoo Kickr Core bundle.

The California-based behemoth did not confirm Monday the scale of the upcoming layoffs, but did state they would impact all areas of the organization.

“The business is healthy and our community is growing. At the same time, growth has not rebounded at a fast enough pace to justify all of the investments that we have been making. As a result, we are taking action to become leaner with a continued focus on delivering great experiences for our community,” read the forum post.

Zwift confirmed Monday its sponsorship of the Tour de France Femmes and Paris-Roubaix Femmes will not be impacted as part of the cutbacks. It currently has naming deals with the two headline Women’s WorldTour races through 2025.

“We are committed to this sponsorship and to supporting the continued growth of women’s cycling,” the post noted.