Illumina is laying off 79 workers in San Diego, and according to an internal email, more layoffs will be announced soon.
Pictured: Building with an Illumina sign in front/iStock, Georgejason
As part of an effort to reduce expenses by $100 million in 2023, Illumina stated it is laying off 79 workers in San Diego, according to a WARN notice received by the state of California on July 13.
This follows a June 26 SEC filing in which Illumina stated it has begun to reduce its workforce, but it did not state how many workers would be affected.
In the same filing, Illumina also announced plans to reduce its real estate footprint by exiting its i3 campus in San Diego and “evaluating its options” with respect to its campus in Foster City, CA. In an internal email obtained by STAT News, Steve Barnard, vice president of technology development, gave more information regarding the company’s plans in Foster City, stating that it plans to stop all lab-based research and development work in the area.
In the same email, the company reported the layoffs would affect 10% of Illumina’s research and development division, and interim CEO Charles Dadswell told staff they should expect more layoffs soon, though he did not provide a specific time frame.
Illumina did not respond to BioSpace’s questions regarding the layoffs, but David McAlpine, global head of public relations at Illumina, told BioSpace these measures are necessary for Illumina to be successful moving forward.
“We believe these additional steps are needed to continue driving innovation, expand profitable growth for our shareholders and put us in the best position to carry out our mission of improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome,” McAlpine said.
These measures come in the wake of the sudden departure of Illumina’s former CEO, Francis deSouza, in June, weeks after an activist investor called for several members of the board to step down. And on July 12, Illumina was hit with a record fine of approximately $476 million for its merger with cancer detection biotech Grail before regulatory approval.
Rosemary Scott is an editor at BioSpace, focusing on the job market and career development for professionals in the life sciences. You can reach her at rosemary.scott@biospace.com and on LinkedIn.
