Hike Messenger to trim 25% of workforce to streamline operations

Acquisitions are usually followed by layoffs, and Hike Messenger is the latest start-up to prove this axiom true. The messaging and social media technology company founded by Kavin Bharti Mittal - son of telecom billionaire Sunil Mittal - has reportedly started laying off 20-25% of its workforce. According to The Economic Times, a major chunk of the pink slips are directed at former employees of Hike's latest two acquisitions, Creo and Pulse.

"We made a few acquisitions last year that skyrocketed the team size, mostly in Bengaluru. We're integrating and streamlining these teams. Just business as usual," a company spokesperson told the daily. Sources in the know added that the total number of retrenchments could range between 50 and 75 employees across locations and across functions, including accounting and human resources.

To remind you, the five-year-old, Delhi-based company had acquired Bengaluru-based tech startup Creo for an undisclosed amount last August. The latter had introduced HDMI media-streaming device Teewe and a smartphone, Mark 1. The Creo team at the time boasted a headcount of over 50 while Hike was already employing over 300 employees across its two offices in Delhi and Bangalore.

A few months previously, Hike had acquired the social networking app Pulse and its parent InstaLively Livestreaming Pvt. Ltd, which was once considered to be the desi equivalent of Twitter-owned Periscope, the live video-streaming app. This company had boasted a headcount of under 50 at the time as per its LinkedIn profile.