In a rather peculiar turn of events, payments software company Stripe laid off 300 employees, equivalent to about 3.5% of its workforce, as reported by Business Insider. This reduction primarily affected staff in product, engineering, and operations departments. Following the announcement, Stripe inadvertently sent an email featuring an attachment of a cartoon duck instead of focusing on the gravity of the layoffs.

The duck image, described as a "US-Non-California Duck," was part of an incorrect notification that also contained misleading termination dates. In a follow-up email, Stripe's chief people officer, Rob McIntosh, addressed the mishap, stating, "I apologize for the error and any confusion it caused," emphasizing that corrections were sent to all impacted employees.

Despite the layoffs, McIntosh assured staff that Stripe is still aiming to grow its headcount to approximately 10,000 employees by year-end. This isn't the first instance of staff reductions for the company; in 2022, it cut more than 1,000 jobs, amounting to about 14% of its workforce. Even as employees processed the layoffs and the unexpected humor of the duck image, many shared their thoughts in internal communications, highlighting the mishandled communications regarding such serious matters.

Founded in 2010 by brothers John and Patrick Collison, Stripe is known for its innovative online and in-person payment processing solutions, catering to millions of businesses worldwide. This incident has sparked discussions about communication practices during layoffs, showing how humor can sometimes emerge amid challenging corporate changes. For further details, you can read more from Business Insider.