Online marijuana giant Leafly lays off 91 staffers

Don’t miss our MJBiz LinkedIn Live covering “Women Leaders in Cannabis: Shattering the Grass Ceiling” on Wednesday, March 27, at 2 p.m. ET. Visit LinkedIn to register!


One of the premier names in online cannabis information, Seattle-based Leafly, said Monday that it’s further cutting its workforce as part of a response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“Today Leafly eliminated the roles of 91 employees across the company, 39% of our workforce,” CEO Tim Leslie said in a statement, adding that he was “heartbroken” over the decision.

Leslie said the company is continuing to grow, but the coronavirus has “put further capital investments we were expecting on pause.” As a result, he said, Leafly was forced to cut costs more than it had previously.

In January, Leafly cut 54 employees and, a month later, closed its operations in Germany.

The company had a smaller round of layoffs in 2017, when it cut 15 workers.

“This workforce reduction (on Monday) will allow us to be financially self-sufficient so we can continue” operations, Leslie noted.

He said the company is currently focused on deploying “pickup and delivery services for retailers and brands across North America.”

– John Schroyer

For more of Marijuana Business Daily’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the cannabis industry, click here.