
EBAY$121.41▼ 0.5%Two years after a 9% job cut, eBay had as many staff as before. Now it is cutting 9% again
eBay announced the cut on Oct. 20 and expects third-quarter results above its August forecast ranges. Its annual reports show staff fell to 11,500 after the 2024 cut, then rose again in a year it made acquisitions.
KeyVex News··6 min readFact-checked against 14 public records
KeyVex News··6 min readFact-checked against 14 public records
EBAY$121.41▼ 0.5%Close, Oct. 23. Prices from Tiingo.The short versionTap to readTap to close
- A job cut means fewer people on the payroll, at first. After eBay's 9% cut announced in January 2024, staff fell to about 11,500, then was back to 12,300 by the end of 2025.
- This cut comes as eBay says it expects its third-quarter results to beat the forecast ranges it gave in August. It is eBay's second cut this year, Reuters reported.
- A headcount nets hires and staff added through acquisitions against people who leave, so a company can cut and later be the same size. eBay bought companies in 2024 and 2025.
- The 2024 plan and this one both say the savings will go back into eBay's own initiatives. Neither filing says how much the cut saves.
- Next: eBay is expected to report Oct. 28, MarketBeat and TipRanks say. eBay expects most of its $130 million to $150 million of one-time costs, nearly all severance and related benefits, in the fourth quarter.
The news: eBay announced the cut on Oct. 20. In a filing two days later, it said it expects its third-quarter results to come in above the forecast ranges it gave in August, and that the plan is meant to align its teams and resources with its top strategic priorities.8-K Reuters, which reviewed chief executive Jamie Iannone's memo to staff, put the cut at about 1,100 jobs. It is eBay's second this year, after about 800 in February, Reuters reported. "Our strategy is working," Iannone wrote.Reuters
The record: eBay has cut this deep before. In January 2024 it announced a plan to cut about 1,000 roles, or 9%.8-K Its annual reports count about 12,300 staff at the end of 2023, 11,500 a year later and 12,300 again at the end of 2025.10-K10-K10-K
Why it matters: By eBay's own approximate count, two years after its last 9% cut it employed as many people as before it.10-K10-K The new plan, like the 2024 one, gives no figure for what the cut will save.8-K8-K
The stock: eBay closed at $121.41 on Oct. 23, up 39.4% since the end of 2025.Chart data
eBay's stock and its two 9% job cutsDaily close, Dec. 1, 2023 to Oct. 23, 2026 ▲ 190.9%Show chartHide chart
What eBay has said about this cut
eBay expects $130 million to $150 million of pre-tax charges, one-time costs booked against earnings, nearly all severance and other payments to departing staff.8-K It expects most of them in the fourth quarter, and the cuts to be substantially complete by the end of March 2027, subject to local law.8-K
California's layoff report, a list of the notices employers must file before large layoffs, shows 229 permanent layoffs at eBay's San Jose headquarters, in a notice dated Oct. 21.WARN
The ranges eBay now expects to beat were set on Aug. 5. They include third-quarter revenue of $3.07 billion to $3.12 billion.8-K The filing gives no new figures. Iannone told staff that capturing "the significant opportunity ahead requires us to make thoughtful choices," Reuters reported.Reuters
What happened after the last 9% cut
The 2024 plan was eBay's second workforce reduction in about a year. Its 2024 annual report records one approved in early 2023, with a $42 million charge, and the one announced in January 2024, with a $99 million charge.10-K
After the 2023 reduction, the count rose from about 11,600 at the end of 2022 to 12,300 a year later.10-K10-K After the 2024 cut, it dipped to 11,500, then came back to 12,300 by the end of 2025.10-K10-K
The reports don't say how the count came back. eBay bought Goldin, a trading-card auction house, in 2024, and in 2025 it bought Caramel, an online car-sale service, and Tise, a consumer-to-consumer marketplace based in Oslo.10-K10-K The filings don't say how many people came with them. In 2025 eBay also booked $91 million of costs for senior leader transitions and restructuring, its 2025 report shows, without saying how much was for job cuts.10-K
View the data
| Year end | eBay employees, approximately | Note |
|---|---|---|
| End of 2022 | 11,600 people | About 11,600 people (2022 Form 10-K) |
| End of 2023 | 12,300 people | About 12,300 people (2023 Form 10-K). The 9% cut was announced in January 2024 |
| End of 2024 | 11,500 people | About 11,500 people (2024 Form 10-K) |
| End of 2025 | 12,300 people | About 12,300 people (2025 Form 10-K) |
eBay gives each count as approximate. Sources: eBay Forms 10-K for 2022 through 2025.
The two plans also share a sentence. The 2024 filing said the savings would "be used to further eBay's strategic and operating initiatives," including growing expenses more slowly than revenue that year.8-K The new one repeats the first part, word for word:
The Company expects that expense savings resulting from the Plan will be used to further eBay's strategic and operating initiatives.
What comes next
eBay is expected to report its third-quarter results on Oct. 28, after the market closes, according to MarketBeat and TipRanks.MarketBeatTipRanks Its next annual report will give its year-end headcount; it filed the last one on Feb. 19, 2026.10-K That count should also include the staff of Depop, the fashion resale marketplace eBay bought on July 30.10-Q
Also in the filings: GameStop's offer
eBay's filings don't tie this cut to GameStop's offer, and its Oct. 22 filing does not mention GameStop.8-K GameStop, the video game retailer run by Ryan Cohen, proposed on May 3 to buy eBay for $125 a share, half in cash and half in stock, about $55.5 billion in all.Offer Its letter said it would take "$2 billion of annualized costs out within twelve months of close," from sales and marketing, product development and general and administrative costs. The letter does not mention jobs.Offer
eBay's board rejected the proposal on May 12, calling it "neither credible nor attractive." Among its reasons, it listed "the impact of your proposal on eBay's long-term growth and profitability."8-K GameStop has since raised its stake to 9.8%, its July 17 filing shows.13D/A eBay's Oct. 23 close, $121.41, was about 3% below the $125 a share GameStop proposed, which was half in GameStop stock.Chart data
What to watch
eBay's third-quarter results are expected after the close, according to MarketBeat and TipRanks.
eBay expects to book most of the $130 million to $150 million of charges, its filing says.
eBay's 2026 annual report, with a year-end headcount that should include Depop. The 2025 report came on Feb. 19.
The cuts should be substantially complete, subject to local law, the filing says.
The paper trail
Key filings in this story, Jan. 24, 2024 through Oct. 22, 2026.
| Filed (ET) | Form | Filer | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 24, 2024 | 8-K | eBay | A plan to cut about 1,000 roles, or 9%, with $90 million to $110 million of expected charges. |
| Feb. 19, 2026 | 10-K | eBay | About 12,300 employees at the end of 2025. |
| May 4, 2026 | 13D | GameStop | A 5.0% economic stake and its $125-a-share offer letter, with a plan to take out $2 billion of annual costs. |
| May 12, 2026 | 8-K | eBay | The board rejects GameStop's offer as "neither credible nor attractive." |
| July 17, 2026 | 13D/A | GameStop | A 9.8% stake, 43,390,383 shares. |
| Oct. 22, 9:07 a.m. | 8-K | eBay | A cut of about 9% of the workforce, $130 million to $150 million of charges, and third-quarter results above guidance. |
Related coverage
Sources
20 sources, 14 of them public records
Public records
- eBay Inc., Form 8-K, Items 2.02 and 2.05: restructuring plan and third-quarter outlookSEC EDGAR · Oct. 22, 2026
- eBay Inc., Form 8-K, Item 2.05: January 2024 restructuring planSEC EDGAR · Jan. 24, 2024
- eBay Inc., Form 10-K for 2022 (employees at year end)SEC EDGAR · Feb. 23, 2023
- eBay Inc., Form 10-K for 2023 (employees at year end)SEC EDGAR · Feb. 28, 2024
- eBay Inc., Form 10-K for 2024 (employees at year end; Goldin acquisition; Note 18, Restructuring)SEC EDGAR · Feb. 27, 2025
- eBay Inc., Form 10-K for 2025 (employees at year end; Caramel and Tise acquisitions; restructuring costs)SEC EDGAR · Feb. 19, 2026
- eBay Inc., Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1: second-quarter 2026 results and third-quarter guidanceSEC EDGAR · Aug. 5, 2026
- eBay Inc., Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (Depop acquisition)SEC EDGAR · Aug. 6, 2026
- eBay Inc., Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1: eBay confirms receipt of GameStop's proposalSEC EDGAR · May 5, 2026
- eBay Inc., Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.2: eBay rejects GameStop's proposalSEC EDGAR · May 12, 2026
- GameStop Corp., Schedule 13D on eBay Inc.SEC EDGAR · May 4, 2026
- GameStop Corp., offer letter to eBay's board, dated May 3 (Exhibit 99.1 to its Schedule 13D)SEC EDGAR · May 4, 2026
- GameStop Corp., Schedule 13D, Amendment No. 4, on eBay Inc.SEC EDGAR · July 17, 2026
- California Employment Development Department, WARN report, July 1 to Oct. 21, 2026State of California · Oct. 21, 2026
Rules and references
- California EDD: Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN)State of California · 2026
Reporting
- "eBay to lay off 9% of workforce in push to simplify operations, internal memo shows", by Jaspreet Singh and Aditya SoniReuters, via GV Wire · Oct. 21, 2026
- eBay earnings preview: third-quarter results expected Oct. 28MarketBeat · Oct. 21, 2026
- eBay (EBAY) earnings datesTipRanks · Oct. 2026
Data
- End-of-day prices for EBAY, and for SPY and QQQ on the chart (Tiingo)KeyVex · through Oct. 23, 2026
- The chart's Filings layer: KeyVex's Congress trade, insider trade, Form 144, 8-K and lobbying records for eBayKeyVex · through Oct. 23, 2026
How we got these numbers
- Prices are end-of-day closes as traded, not adjusted for dividends. The rise since the end of 2025 is the Oct. 23 close, $121.41, against the Dec. 31, 2025 close, $87.10: 39.4%. GameStop's $125 offer is 3.0% above the Oct. 23 close. The Filings switch shows the filing markers from KeyVex's eBay page, a selection of congressional trades, insider trades, Form 144 notices, 8-Ks and lobbying filings: not every filing, and not only those tied to this story.
- Headcounts are the approximate year-end figures in the human capital section of each Form 10-K: about 11,600 at Dec. 31, 2022; 12,300 at Dec. 31, 2023; 11,500 at Dec. 31, 2024; 12,300 at Dec. 31, 2025. eBay gives them as approximate and does not say how many of the people counted joined through acquisitions (Goldin in 2024; Caramel and Tise in 2025). eBay has not given a current headcount. Reuters' estimate of about 1,100 jobs applies 9% to the 12,300 at the end of 2025, a base that comes before the February cut and the Depop purchase, so it is only a rough figure.
- The 2023 and 2024 charges are the pre-tax restructuring charges in Note 18 of the 2024 Form 10-K: $42 million for the reduction approved in the first quarter of 2023 and $99 million for the plan approved in the fourth quarter of 2023 and announced in January 2024. The January 2024 8-K had estimated $90 million to $110 million.
- The layoff notice is the eBay row in California's WARN report for notices processed July 1 to Oct. 21, 2026: 229 employees, layoff permanent, 2025 Hamilton Ave., San Jose, notice dated Oct. 21, 2026. The report is updated twice a week and its window moves, so later versions may show other rows.
- GameStop's stake is as reported in its Schedule 13D, Amendment No. 4: 43,390,383 shares, 9.8% of the 444 million shares eBay reported outstanding on April 24, 2026. Its offer letter valued the offer at about $55.5 billion, undiluted.





