Amperity hit with layoffs as AI changes the shape of the customer data startup and how it operates

Seattle-based customer data startup Amperity conducted layoffs this week, the company confirmed to GeekWire, citing a transformation related to its use of more artificial intelligence.

The company did not specify how many jobs were cut, only that “a number of talented people are leaving.” Amperity’s headcount remains over 200 globally in offices across Seattle, New York, the U.K., Australia and Argentina.

“Amperity is transforming how it operates as a company, building AI into how we work across the organization,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “That shift changes where we’re investing and the shape of the team we need going forward.”

The layoffs come two weeks after Amperity announced that co-founders Derek Slager and Kabir Shahani were taking charge of the company as co-CEOs.

That move replaced former Salesforce executive Tony Alika Owens — who was recruited as CEO in 2024 — in a departure that Amperity said was planned and a “mutual transition.” Longtime CFO Amy Kelleran Pelly also took on added responsibilities and became president while retaining her CFO role.

Slager and Shahani said at the time that the rise of AI created a major opportunity for the company. And Thursday’s statement about layoffs reiterated that view.

“These decisions are about building a stronger Amperity for our customers. That’s where our focus is, and that’s what this next chapter is about,” the company said.

Founded in 2016, Amperity is one of Seattle’s most prominent enterprise software startups. It built its business around helping large consumer brands unify customer information from multiple systems into a single profile.

The company has raised more than $180 million from investors including HighSage Ventures, Tiger Global, Declaration Partners, Madrona and others. 

Amperity is ranked No. 32 on the GeekWire 200, a list of the top privately-held tech companies in the Pacific Northwest.