Unity is set to make more layoffs in the fallout from its troubled merger with IronSource, and the Runtime Fee fiasco that followed.
An internal memo sent by CEO Matthew Bromberg and obtained by 80 Level says Unity is making the changes to further streamline how its adtech operations fit into the company.
“Two years on from the merger with IronSource, it is time to bring our go-to market teams, technology, and product offering together, integrating them directly into the Unity ecosystem,” the note from Bromberg says.
The same outlet, 80 Level, also previously reported that Unity had sent layoff emails out to those affected this morning, and that the team behind the Unity Behavior tool had been let go as part of the changes.
All staff affected should be informed of any changes to their role by the end of tomorrow, February 12, the memo says.
We’ve also seen posts on LinkedIn suggesting that Unity’s team in Helsinki has been hit particularly hard. We’ve asked Unity to confirm the numbers affected but it has not responded to us or, it appears, any other outlet reporting the news so far.
In short, the changes outlined in the memo suggest that:
- Pierre-Paul Giroux’s AI group and Amar Mehta’s Central Technology Services team are moving under CTO Steve Collins
- Unity’s ad departments will be split into Supply (led out of EMEA) and Demand (led from US)
- IronSource’s product and engineering teams will remain as a standalone unit
- Chief revenue officer Nadav Ashkenazy appears to be leaving. He’ll be replaced by a US-based CRO
As we’ve reported previously, the $4.4bn merger between Unity and IronSource has not gone well so far.
In October 2024 sources told us of the alleged bullying and mismanagement within Unity’s adtech arm that had led to a toxic atmosphere, unhappy staff and dozens of resignations.
There was particularly strong criticism of IronSource middle management, who were allegedly bullying ‘legacy’ Unity ad staff out of the company. As we reported previously, IronSource’s founders all left Unity in January 2024.
That report followed on from another the previous day, which detailed the costly Unity Ads bug that crashed most iOS games using the SDK in August 2024. It dented developers’ ad revenue significantly, and caused our sources to wonder: “What the f**k is going on over there?”
