Rivian is laying off hundreds of workers, just a week after launching the highly anticipated R2 electric SUV. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, the layoffs will impact less than 2% of Rivian's total workforce, which translates to around 300 people, given that Rivian employed approximately 15,200 people at the end of 2025.
A company spokesperson confirmed that the cuts are centered around teams in Rivian's service and customer segments, including roles in go-to-market functions like sales and marketing. In a statement, the company said, "We recently restructured a handful of teams within Rivian as we work to profitably scale our business."
View Price on AmazonThe R2 is incredibly important to Rivian, as it's positioned to be the industry's most serious competitor to the Tesla Model Y from a U.S.-based startup. The electric SUV is meant to transition Rivian from the boutique adventurer brand that built the expensive R1, and it's also charged with helping the automaker achieve profitability. Rivian has not yet achieved an annual profit, losing $3.6 billion in 2025 and $4.7 billion in 2024.
The R2 is expected to be Rivian's highest-volume vehicle yet. In 2025, Rivian delivered just under 42,250 vehicles, but it plans to deliver 20,000 R2s this year. The company will transition production to a massive new plant in Georgia by 2028, which is sized to produce up to 300,000 vehicles each year.
Source: insideevs.com
