Key Takeaways
- The e-commerce platform is eliminating approximately 800 positions, accounting for 6% of total staff
- Job reductions affect multiple departments as part of a comprehensive organizational realignment
- The company finalized a deal to purchase Depop from Etsy in a $1.2 billion transaction
- Fourth-quarter revenue climbed 15% year-over-year to reach $2.97 billion, surpassing projections
- First-quarter revenue guidance sits between $3 billion and $3.05 billion
eBay revealed on Thursday that it plans to eliminate roughly 800 positions from its workforce, which currently stands at approximately 12,300 employees worldwide.
The online marketplace positioned these workforce reductions as a component of its larger initiative to “reinvest across the business” and better synchronize operations with key strategic objectives.
The company did not provide a specific timeframe for implementing the layoffs, nor did it indicate whether any restructuring expenses would be recorded in future financial statements.
These workforce adjustments touch various divisions throughout the organization, with decisions driven by operational structure requirements, redundancy elimination, and strategic goal alignment.
According to the company’s latest Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure, approximately 60% of eBay’s employees work within the United States.
This workforce announcement follows closely on the heels of eBay‘s recent agreement to acquire Depop — Etsy’s secondhand fashion marketplace — in an all-cash deal valued at roughly $1.2 billion.
Chief Executive Officer Jamie Iannone emphasized that bringing Depop into the fold would strengthen eBay’s presence in the fashion sector, which represents one of the platform’s most rapidly expanding categories. The Depop platform attracts a predominantly young demographic, with approximately 90% of its users under age 34.
Financial Results Highlight Growth
The marketplace operator posted fourth-quarter revenue totaling $2.97 billion, representing a 15% increase compared to the previous year and exceeding Wall Street forecasts.
Gross merchandise volume expanded 10% to reach $21.2 billion. Sales within priority categories — encompassing collectibles, automotive parts, and refurbished merchandise — experienced growth exceeding 16% on a year-over-year basis.
Adjusted earnings reached $1.41 per share, outperforming the consensus analyst estimate of $1.35. Despite this, net income decreased to $528 million from $679 million recorded during the corresponding quarter of the prior year.
Artificial Intelligence Integration and Market Competition
Alongside cost reduction initiatives, eBay has been accelerating its artificial intelligence investments. The platform has implemented AI-powered tools for internal operations and customer-facing functions, and has established a collaboration with OpenAI focused on developing an agentic web browser.
This marks another chapter in eBay’s ongoing workforce optimization efforts. The company has been gradually reducing headcount over recent years as it attempts to maintain competitiveness against major players like Amazon and Walmart, while also contending with emerging threats from TikTok Shop, Temu, and Shein.
In other recent developments, eBay finalized a settlement this week with a Massachusetts couple who endured stalking and harassment from former company employees upset about their e-commerce industry blog. Settlement terms remain confidential.
Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2026, eBay projected adjusted earnings between $1.53 and $1.59 per share on revenue ranging from $3 billion to $3.05 billion. Wall Street analysts had anticipated $1.57 per share on $2.99 billion in revenue.
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