A Message from CEO and Co-Founder Oren Kaniel: A difficult step, a stronger tomorrow
Earlier today, AppsFlyer CEO and Co-founder Oren Kaniel sent the following note to the AppsFlyer team:
Dear team,
I am writing to inform you of a difficult decision we have made to ensure we remain agile, innovative, and positioned for long-term success. As part of this step, we will be parting ways with approximately 100 team members – representing 7% of our workforce – colleagues and friends who have been integral to our success and the impact we’ve made together.
As a people-centric organization, we carefully considered every aspect before making this decision, ensuring that it was made with deep thought and concern for everyone affected. I also want to provide as much clarity and transparency as possible about why we made this decision, why now, and why we believe it is the right step for our future.
First and foremost, today we are parting ways with incredible colleagues who have helped shape AppsFlyer’s culture and products. Their contributions have been instrumental to our success, and we are deeply grateful for their dedication and talent. Thank you for being all-in and thinking like founders – a mindset that will serve you well as you continue your professional journey. I am confident that your AppsFlyer experience and this unique mindset will make you extremely valuable to any company, and I have no doubt you will thrive and pursue your passions.
While today is difficult, I hope you will look back and remember AppsFlyer as a place of meaningful personal and professional growth. You will always be part of the AppsFlyer community, and we will continue working hard to make you proud of your contributions while ensuring your equity grows in value.
Why we are taking this step
- Accelerate value creation and growth through focus
By becoming leaner, we enhance agility and focus. With fewer layers, we can make decisions faster, execute more effectively, and allocate resources to the most impactful projects, products and initiatives. This approach enables us to seize opportunities swiftly and drive sharper execution and competitiveness. - Realigning investments
To achieve our strategic goals, we must focus our resources on the areas that drive the most impact – both for our vision and for our customers. This means prioritizing high-value initiatives and reducing spending on those that do not contribute to our core objectives or pivotal innovation. As part of this shift, we are streamlining product development to emphasize scalability and usability. - Increase investments in AI
AI is the most significant transformation of our time, and we are committed to leading it. By investing in AI tools, models, and team training, we are positioning our teams for long-term success in this rapidly evolving landscape. While these investments require upfront costs, they are critical to unlocking long-term value, driving revenue growth, and preparing our people for success in the AI-powered workplace. - Operational excellence for long-term success
An optimized cost structure enhances our ability to deliver value and achieve operational excellence. This ensures financial strength while improving equity value for our current and future shareholders and team members. - Constraints drive innovation
Necessity is the mother of invention. Constraints force us to rethink, reinvent, and adopt groundbreaking solutions. This reminds me of AppsFlyer in the early days – the scrappiness that drove us to innovate and create solutions that money couldn’t buy. It is this spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness that we must continue to embrace as we move forward, shedding inefficiencies and finding new pathways for long-term success.
Why now
Over the past few years, we have prioritized supporting our customers, partners, and the broader mobile ecosystem through exceptionally challenging times. This meant making significant investments in privacy-enhancing technologies and ecosystem support. While these efforts came with short-term trade-offs—such as tighter margins and operational inefficiencies—they cemented AppsFlyer’s position as a leader in privacy-first measurement and data collaboration.
Today, AppsFlyer stands as a pillar of stability amid economic, industry, and geopolitical turbulence. This strength gives us the ability to take this step while continuing to deliver exceptional service to our customers and partners. I believe this is the right path forward. It reflects our commitment to becoming a faster, leaner, and more focused organization in 2025 and beyond.
Even as we achieve record financial performance – profitable in 2024 for the first time, cash flow positive for over two years, and exceeding revenue, ARR, and EBITDA goals – we believe now is the right time to take this step. While it may seem unexpected to make such changes during a period of success, it is precisely this strength, combined with our strategic leadership, that enables us to act decisively, invest in growth, and ensure AppsFlyer remains at the forefront of innovation.
The most successful companies make bold, forward-thinking decisions from a position of strength—not in reaction to challenges. By taking this step now, we are realigning resources to drive the greatest long-term impact, ensuring AppsFlyer remains agile, competitive, and positioned for sustained leadership in an ever-evolving industry.
Supporting impacted employees
We are committed to supporting every impacted team member with care and respect during this transition. Where permitted by local regulations, we are offering extended health insurance to ensure continued coverage during this period. Additionally, affected employees will receive a special pay package to help support them as they transition to new opportunities.
We are confident that our impacted team members will bring immense value to any company. However, what matters most to us is that they find a path that aligns with their passions and career aspirations. To support their well-being and career evolution, we are providing access to an assistance program, including mental health support and career guidance, as well as external outplacement services from a global firm to assist in finding new opportunities. Employees may also retain their laptops to facilitate job searches and professional development.
Above all, our goal is to ease this transition as much as possible and honor the contributions these team members have made to AppsFlyer. Their impact will always be valued and remembered.
Final words
I know that today is difficult, and I recognize the emotional toll these changes bring. This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make because it is not just about business—it affects people, families, and the journey we have built together.
To those impacted, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your contributions to AppsFlyer. You have played an essential role in shaping our company, and your impact will always be part of our story. Once an AppsFlyer, always an AppsFlyer.
To those continuing with us, I want to highlight our shared responsibility in shaping AppsFlyer’s next chapter – one that honors our values, strengthens our culture, and deepens our sense of community.
Together, we will nurture a stronger community and build a company that continues to deliver – no matter what.
While this message is first and foremost for our team, I also want to take a moment to speak directly to our customers, partners, and the broader ecosystem – those who have placed their trust in us to lead and innovate through change:
Thank you for your trust and partnership. Your trust in us – built on our unwavering commitment to remain independent and unbiased – has been the driving force behind our innovation, responsibility, and impact. You can continue to expect the same level of extraordinary service, support, and unparalleled innovations that define AppsFlyer. Our commitment to the ecosystem we’ve nurtured for over a decade remains stronger than ever, ultimately enabling better, safer digital experiences for everyone.
Thank you for your understanding, resilience, and dedication.
Oren
