Crypto data platform Dune’s CEO and co-founder Fredrik Haga announced Thursday that the company has cut 25% of its workforce, saying the move was needed to "sharpen our focus" on core data products.
We’re restructuring Dune to sharpen our focus around the core data products thousands of customers across the crypto industry rely on. That unfortunately means we’ve let 25% of the team go this week. These are exceptional people I can wholeheartedly recommend — ping me if you’re…
"We're the only player who has done the hard work of building the end-to-end stack for crypto data," he wrote.
"If you are not hands on AImaxxxing and exploring how AI changes your domain we won't hire you," he wrote at the time.
Crypto layoffs accelerateAfter years of expansion, crypto companies are now restructuring around efficiency, with AI increasingly replacing lower-level tasks while amplifying output from smaller teams.
Lycett said AI is “definitely cutting costs at the junior level,” with low-level administrative work capable of saving “hundreds of thousands off the payroll instantly,” showing how automation is changing workforce economics.
“This having been said, AI is a convenient smokescreen to justify layoffs that are necessary due to the nature of the market at the current time,” he noted.
"Companies are definitely prioritising profitability and efficiency over growth—there is very little growth in the space currently," Lycett added. "This is a global situation in the crypto and Web3 sector."
"Instead, founders are cutting basic technical roles to keep their teams lean, while paying top dollar for engineers who know how to build AI into blockchain products,” Vatsa added.
She said roles tied to repetitive or low-impact work are becoming most vulnerable, while core positions are evolving rather than disappearing, with professionals now expected to “work with AI tools, validate AI-generated output, and bring judgment that automation cannot fully replace.”
AI is not just cutting jobs but “raising the bar for what a sustainable Web3 role looks like,” Pande added, as firms push toward profitability, leaner teams, and more institutional-grade operations.
Amid the layoffs, Haga maintained that the company remains “well capitalized” and positioned for long-term growth.
“For 8 years we've grown through multiple rollercoaster cycles,” he said. “The Data Must Flow.”
