Tech layoffs: 115 employees fired at voice automation firm Skit.ai

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) voice automation startup Skit.ai has asked more than 115 employees to go, mostly from its India team, as part of the "restructuring process" amid the deepening funding winter, the media reported.

The layoffs impacted various verticals like software engineering, product and operations, among others.

In a statement, Skit.ai Co-founder and CEO Sourabh Gupta said while the "restructuring was unavoidable," the priority right now is to "support them in this transition".

"Over the last few quarters, we are seeing significant growth in the US with an increasing customer base. Our future team requirements are according to that. We have also secured investor support for US expansion," said Gupta.

The platform offered two months of salary as a severance package to the laid off employees, along with insurance coverage for the next six months, the report mentioned.

Skit.ai has raised about $30 million to date. The startup raised $23 million in September 2021, led by WestBridge Capital and existing investors Kalaari Capital and Exfinity Ventures, among others, also participated in the round.

Gupta and Akshay Deshraj started Skit.ai in 2016 "with a mission to simplify the experience of connecting with contact centres". The platform has a customer service engine that leverages the combined power of human agents and its purpose-built voice AI technology.