Statista cuts 80 jobs amid AI-driven data automation strategy

Marc Berg announced on October 15, 2025, that Statista will eliminate approximately 80 positions as part of a strategic reorganization focused on artificial intelligence and automation. The CEO shared the decision through a LinkedIn post, describing it as "one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."

The workforce reduction primarily affects Statista's Team Content, which handles data identification, contextualization, and aggregation. Berg stated that the reorganization will increase investment in the first two core tasks while automating repetitive standard processes. The decision follows a period of strong financial performance, with the company reaching 18% year-over-year growth momentum in Q3 and Q4 2024.

Statista faced significant competitive headwinds in 2023, leading to a broad transformation that extended into 2024. The company launched a new Product Strategy and Leadership team and introduced corporate functions strengthening initiatives. "In 2023, faced significant headwinds from competition, which led to a broad transformation that continued into 2024," Berg wrote in his announcement.

The transformation included appointing new executive leadership positions. Corporate functions were strengthened with appointments including a Chief Financial Officer and Chief People Officer. These leadership changes preceded the strong performance improvements observed in 2024.

Berg cited multiple factors driving the current reorganization. "The uncertain economic situation, geopolitical tensions and especially the rapid rise of Gen AI and evolving customer behavior posed new challenges and opportunities," he explained. The CEO emphasized recognizing these changes early presents opportunities for evolution.

The company is focusing investment in emerging growth areas including Statista Connect, Statista Healthcare, and SynthiePop, described as Statista's synthetic population product. Berg stated the overarching goal centers on serving clients more holistically, leveraging data more effectively, and strengthening the product portfolio. The transformation continues the company's chosen path toward becoming a data-as-a-service organization.

The reorganization reflects automation trends affecting data-intensive businesses. AI adoption has accelerated across digital advertising, with 85% of European companies already deploying AI-based tools for marketing purposes according to September 2025 research from IAB Europe. Content generation and targeting lead adoption patterns, with 80% and 64% of companies respectively using these functions.

Berg acknowledged the difficulty of the decision while defending it as necessary for long-term competitiveness. "The decision was not taken lightly. But I see it as my responsibility to ensure that the company remains successful in the long term for as many employees as possible," he stated. He argued that if the decision increases competitiveness for over 90% of the workforce, it becomes necessary.

The announcement drew mixed reactions from the professional community on LinkedIn. Jeremiah Lasquety-Reyes, identifying himself as Lead AI Engineer for Multimodal AI, commented that many Team Content employees possessed technical capabilities that could have supported AI-model-centric products. "The irony is that many of those in Team Content (former ERI) had both the talent and desire to upskill in technical/professional capabilities, and could have been retrained to bolster more creative AI-model-centric products for Statista," he wrote.

Stephanie Chevalier Naranjo, who identified herself as Content Marketing Manager EMEA & LATAM at AppsFlyer, responded to Lasquety-Reyes' assessment. "I fully agree. The outcome we're seeing now feels inevitable, not because of sudden change, but because of deliberate inaction," she stated. She argued that management consistently chose not to evolve the company's direction over past months and years.

Marina Pasquali, identifying herself as Product Analyst & Data Manager, raised concerns about the contrast between layoff announcements and open positions. "Difficult to reconcile the announcement of 80 layoffs with a careers page full of open vacancies," she wrote. Pasquali characterized the decision as a clear choice to cut costs rather than invest in existing talent. "Many of those laid off could have been offered transfers to open roles in areas like sales or consulting. The failure to even consider this pathway shows disregard for the talent you claim to value," she argued.

Dirk Zurek, identifying himself as IT-Consultant at Amadeus FiRe, offered a more concise critique. "That is a very long winded way to say 'We're firing 80 people after they delivered a strong 2024 for us,'" he commented.

Berg emphasized Statista's cultural values throughout the announcement. "Statista has always been built on collaboration, trust, and genuine care for one another. But I am convinced that by staying true to these values, we will navigate this transformation together," he stated. The CEO concluded by activating his professional network to connect affected employees with new opportunities.

The automation of content production and data aggregation represents a broader trend across technology and data companies. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced in July 2025 that his company achieved cost reductions for AI processing by more than 10 times annually for five consecutive years. Altman provided examples of programming tasks that previously required days of work being completed in five minutes using upcoming models.

Salesforce demonstrated practical AI implementation in September 2025, with CEO Marc Benioff revealing that AI agents now handle 30% to 50% of work within the company. The systems resolve 85% of customer service inquiries while maintaining the human workforce through strategic role transitions rather than large-scale layoffs.

The marketing community watches these developments closely as AI transforms industry operations. IAB Europe's September 2025 report found that 74% of companies report at least one campaign function powered by artificial intelligence. Ad tech firms report the strongest performance benefits, with 60% citing KPI improvements from AI adoption, compared to 48% for agencies and fewer than one-third of publishers reporting CPM increases.

Berg's announcement comes as companies navigate tensions between automation efficiency and workforce development. The decision to automate repetitive processes while investing in higher-level tasks reflects a pattern emerging across data-intensive industries. However, the contrast between eliminating positions while maintaining open vacancies raises questions about retraining opportunities and internal mobility policies.

The strategic focus on synthetic population products and healthcare data represents Statista's bet on specialized data services. These emerging areas require different skill sets than traditional data aggregation, potentially explaining the workforce restructuring. The company's emphasis on becoming a data-as-a-service organization suggests a shift from labor-intensive content production toward platform-based services.

Statista's transformation mirrors broader patterns in the data industry. Companies face pressure to reduce costs through automation while simultaneously investing in new capabilities required for AI-era competition. The balance between workforce preservation and competitive positioning remains contentious, particularly when strong recent performance precedes layoff announcements.

The 80 affected positions represent approximately 10% of Statista's workforce based on Berg's statement about increasing competitiveness for over 90% of employees. The geographic concentration of layoffs remains unclear, though comments from German-language professionals suggest European operations face significant impact.

Professional network responses to Berg's announcement highlight ongoing debates about AI implementation approaches. Some commenters questioned whether existing talent could have been redirected toward emerging AI-focused roles rather than eliminated. Others defended the decision as economically necessary given industry conditions. The discussion reflects tensions between workforce development philosophy and competitive pressure.

The company's growth trajectory adds complexity to the workforce reduction narrative. Reaching 18% year-over-year growth in late 2024 typically signals business expansion rather than contraction. The juxtaposition of strong performance and significant layoffs suggests strategic repositioning rather than financial distress.

Berg's characterization of the decision as responsible leadership aimed at ensuring long-term success for most employees positions the layoffs as preventive rather than reactive. This framing attempts to distinguish the move from financial distress-driven workforce reductions. However, critics argue that this reasoning inadequately addresses the apparent contradiction between current success and workforce elimination.

The LinkedIn announcement format itself represents a notable aspect of modern corporate communications. Berg's direct address to his professional network, combining business rationale with personal difficulty acknowledgment, reflects contemporary expectations for executive transparency. The decision to publicly request hiring assistance for affected employees demonstrates an attempt to soften the impact while maintaining professional relationships.

Industry observers note that data aggregation automation affects multiple sectors beyond Statista. Research organizations, market intelligence firms, and business information providers face similar pressures to automate content production while maintaining quality and relevance. The outcomes of Statista's transformation may influence how other data-focused companies approach their own automation decisions.

The announcement's timing in mid-October 2025 places it within a broader context of technology sector restructuring. While Statista's situation differs from the mass layoffs affecting some technology companies, it shares common threads around AI-driven operational changes and strategic repositioning. The focus on automation of repetitive tasks while preserving strategic functions represents one approach to navigating industry transformation.

Timeline

• 2023: Statista faces significant competitive headwinds, initiates broad transformation
• 2024: Company launches new Product Strategy and Leadership team, strengthens corporate functions with new CFO and Chief People Officer
• Q3 2024: Strong growth momentum begins building
• Q4 2024: Statista reaches 18% year-over-year growth
• October 2024: IAB Tech Lab releases AI in Advertising Primer providing framework for industry AI adoption
• July 2025: OpenAI CEO reveals dramatic AI cost reductions at Federal Reserve conference
• July 2025: IAB Europe releases whitepaper on AI in digital advertising addressing growth and policy
• September 2025: Salesforce CEO details AI agents handling 50% of company work without workforce reductions
• September 2025: IAB Europe reveals 85% AI adoption rate across digital advertising companies
• October 15, 2025: Marc Berg announces elimination of approximately 80 positions, primarily affecting Team Content

Summary

Who: Marc Berg, CEO of Statista, announced workforce reduction affecting approximately 80 employees, primarily in the Team Content division responsible for data identification, contextualization, and aggregation.

What: Statista is eliminating approximately 80 positions as part of a strategic reorganization emphasizing artificial intelligence and automation. The company will increase investment in data identification and contextualization while automating repetitive standard processes. The transformation focuses on emerging growth areas including Statista Connect, Statista Healthcare, and SynthiePop (synthetic population product) while pursuing the goal of becoming a data-as-a-service company.

When: Berg made the announcement on October 15, 2025, through a LinkedIn post. The decision follows strong performance in Q3 and Q4 2024, when the company reached 18% year-over-year growth momentum. The transformation began in 2023 with competitive challenges, continued through 2024 with leadership and product strategy changes, and now enters a new phase focused on automation.

Where: Statista operates globally as a data and business intelligence platform. The announcement was made via LinkedIn, reaching Berg's professional network and the broader business community. Comments from German-language professionals suggest significant impact on European operations, though the geographic distribution of affected positions was not specified in the announcement.

Why: Berg cited multiple factors driving the reorganization: uncertain economic situation, geopolitical tensions, rapid rise of generative AI, and evolving customer behavior. He characterized the decision as necessary to ensure long-term competitiveness for the majority of the workforce (over 90%). The strategic shift toward automation reflects broader industry trends where companies seek to reduce labor-intensive processes while investing in higher-value activities. The transformation aims to serve clients more holistically, leverage data more effectively, and strengthen the product portfolio in an AI-driven market environment.