Optimism Developer OP Labs Announces 20% Workforce Reduction Amid Strategic Restructuring

ChainCatcher reports that OP Labs, the infrastructure developer behind Optimism, has laid off 20 employees, representing approximately 19.6% of its total team. Jing Wang, co-founder of Optimism and CEO of OP Labs, stated in an internal memo that the layoffs are not driven by financial pressure, as the company currently has ample funding and multiple years of cash reserves. The move aims to “streamline operations, accelerate decision-making, and reduce collaboration costs.” Optimism is currently undergoing a transition. Last month, Base, the largest chain in the OP Stack ecosystem, announced it would shift to its own unified tech stack—a change that sparked market concerns about Optimism’s long-term sustainability, causing the OP token price to drop approximately 37% over the past 30 days. Despite these challenges, OP Labs has outlined a 2026 roadmap focused on faster block times, native interoperability, customizable compliance controls, and a zero-knowledge proof (ZK Proof) system aligned with Ethereum’s roadmap. Additionally, OP token holders previously approved a proposal to allocate 50% of Superchain sequencer revenues toward token buybacks.