Robinhood Cuts 10% of Staff Amid Crypto Slump, Takes $28M Restructuring Charge

Robinhood is trimming roughly 290 roles — about 10% of its full-time staff — as it reshapes its management structure and streamlines operations, the online brokerage announced. The move comes with approximately $28 million in one-time charges that the company expects to record in the second quarter. CEO Vlad Tenev told employees the cuts are a proactive step taken “from a position of strength.” In a message shared on X, Tenev said the company is reducing layers of management to “maximize our talent density” and set a higher performance bar while continuing to hire selectively for top-tier roles and invest in frontier technologies. The company also said it will close the remaining open positions. Financial and workforce details - Robinhood reported roughly 2,900 full-time employees as of Dec. 31; the 290 layoffs therefore equate to about 10% of that base. - Management expects roughly $20 million in severance and employee-benefit costs and about $8 million in share-based compensation expenses — totaling roughly $28 million — to be recognized in Q2. Investor and market reaction Shares reacted positively to the news, rising nearly 3% in premarket trading, though the stock was still down about 13% year-to-date through Monday’s close. Business backdrop: recovery in trading, earlier crypto weakness Robinhood said trading activity has strengthened recently: June month-to-date average daily volumes reached record levels in equities, options and prediction markets. That improvement contrasts with a weaker start to the year — in its April quarterly results Robinhood missed expectations as a slump in crypto trading weighed on revenue. In Q1, crypto trading revenue fell 47% year-over-year to $134 million, and transaction-based revenue totaled $623 million, below analyst forecasts. Several firms had flagged crypto as a pressure point: Morningstar called the business a “particular pressure point,” Raymond James noted uneven volumes and retail fatigue, and KBW flagged intensifying competition as exchanges and traditional firms expand crypto offerings. Strategy: diversify revenue and expand internationally To reduce dependence on volatile trading volumes, Robinhood is pushing beyond its core brokerage: it has been building retirement accounts, wealth management services and credit-card products to create steadier revenue streams. The firm also recently expanded internationally by launching stock and options trading in Canada through its acquisition of Canadian crypto platform WonderFi, bringing Robinhood’s investing products to Canadian users for the first time. Management framed the restructuring as a forward-looking efficiency play: with the balance sheet in solid shape, the company says it can both streamline internal layers and continue investing in talent and technology to sharpen execution — a strategy designed in part to insulate performance from crypto market swings and broader retail trading cycles.