Airtable Layoffs Announced | December 2022

[@GarethPronovost]

Learn the basics of Airtable in my free crash course: 👉garethpronovost.com/airtable-crash-course👈 Read the TechCrunch article here: 👉techcrunch.com/2022/12/08/airtable-layoffs/👈

[@sarenamclean2956]

Excellent coverage of the current situation at Airtable Gareth. Importantly, a wonderful demonstration of leadership with your message of hope. Very well said.

[@GarethPronovost]

Thanks Sarena. Layoffs are hard for everyone from leadership to those impacted. I hope some positives can come from this. 🤞

[@artemkunytsia]

What a great punchline at the end! I can totally relate to that. Got laid off for the first time in my live in early 2020 due to Covid. But then, a month later, I joined SmartSuite. We never now what the future brings. All we can do is to embrace the uncertainty and keep on dwelling forward.

[@GarethPronovost]

Learning to embrace the uncertainty is a lifelong lesson for me. Every day is a new opportunity.

[@DAVIDVAGNETTI]

Bravo! It could not be better said. I lost my $68,000,000.00 engineering resident inspector job before Christmas 2018. But it was worse than being laid off; I was walking casually through the construction site and took a wrong step and broke my fibula into three pieces. That required two orthopedic surgeries and a year of recovery. I can tell you today that was the best thing ever for me. I wouldn't say I liked the fieldwork; I was naturally a water resource engineering designer. Two weeks after surgery, I started Land & Watersheds, LLC, a water resources and site improvement A&E firm, and I could not be happier today. So yes, I got really touched by what you said. Good luck and Happy holidays!

[@GarethPronovost]

Thanks! Happy holidays to you, too. Sometimes negative events can have very positive consequences! 🤞

[@danielkerman9057]

Thank you for this, especially for your empathy with those former AT employees. Yowch! Here's one of my still-gelling take-aways: a great deal of unnecessary (and difficult to understand) stress comes from what seems like confused and confusing messaging. If they're making changes to their model, well, fine, but why not be upfront and unambiguous about it? In my experience, such bet-hedging erodes confidence (internal and external). As you pointed out, the lack of transparency itself shapes our perception about what's going on behind the curtain. I've loved my experience with Airtable, but I'm going to be spending more time on SmartSuite as well as taking another close look are More Code alternatives. Thanks for another clear communication. You do wonderful work.

[@GarethPronovost]

Hi Dan, I appreciate your thoughts and couldn't agree more! The messaging is the real issue here and it makes me feel like we aren't getting the full story... I also love my experience with Airtable, but I don't think this is their finest moment. Hoping they are able to stay true to their values and weather this storm (none of us is perfect and believe that I've made my own share of bad mistakes...)

[@tishacrisler1474]

I thought the same thing. If AirTable is shifting to Enterprise, what does that mean for Pro users like me? Should I be looking toward other platforms so I am ready if they stop supporting pro? I also feel bad for those who were laid off. As Gareth noted, however, it could be an opportunity for them to reach for something better.

[@danielkerman9057]

@@tishacrisler1474 Getting laid off sucks to be sure, and the timing, as Gareth touched on, is especially unfortunate. However, as he also pointed out, such involuntary and distasteful opportunities CAN lead to positive change. My concern is much more selfish; for nearly four years I've been quite content to have many of my eggs in the Airtable basket. I recommended it as a prototyping tool to someone > 5 years ago, and it developed into the back-end of a fairly sophisticated start-up. But we archive closed records to a data warehouse, so we don't require a lot of storage, and we have only a small set of employees who need direct access to the data, so we don't need a lot of users. In other words, with some hacks, AT has worked really well for us, and I've been an enthusiastic supporter of their model, despite it's user/security/public access constraints. But things change, and I'm seriously considering alternatives before our next expansion. Bottom line however - why is AT 'hiding' its road map?

[@dontwatchdotorg]

@@tishacrisler1474 I don't think they'll stop supporting pro, they're just focusing on making more money from Enterprise

[@raphaelbanuelos2271]

Thanks Gareth, dang that's tough news... I hope the people affected by layoffs are ok. It does make it kind of rough considering all the new updates that are supposed to come out with connected apps

[@GarethPronovost]

For sure - so many updates planned and reduced staff to deliver... it must be a tough time for all...

[@ladisonaike6720]

Super Engaging but above all very considered. Top video Gareth 🙌🏾.

[@GarethPronovost]

Thanks, Ladi! It's a tough topic to navigate, so I was a bit nervous about putting it out there. Appreciate your feedback 🙏

[@williamporter8463]

Thanks for this video, Gareth. Very difficult for those of us who are independent developers without your contacts inside Airtable to know how to read this development. My clients are not enterprises. They're small-to-medium size law firms for whom Airtable has seemed like a perfect fit: They need rapid development, connectivity, etc., just the things that Airtable has in spades. Like you I was a bit surprised by these layoffs and they do make me nervous about my own future with Airtable. On the other hand, it's been common in the tech industry for companies growing as fast as Airtable has grown to OVERGROW and then have to retrench. And I can't imagine Airtable simply abandoning those of us with smaller user bases. We may not bring in the millions, but our needs are diverse and we provide a lot of (unofficial) beta testing that has to be useful to Airtable. I'm crossing my fingers (while continuing to keep an eye on alternatives). Thanks again and keep up the great work!

[@GarethPronovost]

Yeah, above all the messaging around the layoffs has been catastrophic. Hoping that things get back on track soon, but I'm very sorry for the folks who drank the Kool-Aid and were left holding the bag...

[@williamporter8463]

@@GarethPronovost Sorry, not sure what you mean by "the folks who drank the Kool-Aid". Assume you are referring sympathetically to the folks who got laid off, but am not sure. Hope you are NOT referring to those of us who have bought into Airtable as a development platform for our small/medium businesses or business clients!

[@AristeidisZagklis]

from all content. i keep your last words..about the opportunity. good timing for me to hear it.

[@GarethPronovost]

Glad to know that helped!

[@randymitchell7983]

Well said Gareth

[@GarethPronovost]

Thanks Randy! Tough topic for sure...

[@TheRemyRomano]

It is sad news, especially with the holidays. I guess I’ve never worked with anyone much above the technical support level, but I have never worked with the same person twice, and always seemed to think that there was a very high turnover at Airtable, but that was just my perception. For several years, I was really frustrated with Support because of the continuous turnover. When I think back at all of the video productions that Airtable has done over the years, the leads for those videos seemed to change every couple of months. It’s also interesting to me that some of the greatest development accomplishments have just occurred with interfaces and tools and they happened so fast. Really had my hopes up for some serious Smartsuite competition. Sounds like we’re in for a really nasty 2023.

[@GarethPronovost]

Different teams have different turnover rates, I suspect. I haven't worked much with support, but that sounds like a tough gig.

[@alfredwidmann9177]

Thanks for the video and really appreciate seeing and being reminded of the human connections behind all these software apps we use. I was surprised, it was looking to me that Airtable was releasing so many new features. Sadly to me it looks like one of may examples where the simple logic of putting shareholder value as a priority over employee retention. Over all else in fact, a tragic design floor of capitalism in my opinion. If we want an app that can democratise app development for small businesses, then surely this comes more easily from an organisation that is owned and governed by its direct stakeholders. The users, employees and investors being key stakeholders along with many others. That way as a small business I can be assured that my interests have real power within the organisation. Surely a more stable environment to be in that the VC world we live in now. I'm going to lean into Baserow (much more after this news). It looks like an interesting open source equivalent to Airtable. If I ever need to go Enterprise level I will seriously consider running something like that where I could be in more direct control and fund feature requests with fellow users in some sort of platform cooperative. I respect there are many perspectives on the ideas above, and appreciate this is simply one of them to be considered out of many. Kind regards

[@TheMissCrocodile]

I'm interested in using Baserow too, so great they are open source. I looked at making the switch but havn't yet

[@GarethPronovost]

It's hard to share an opinion on the internet without receiving backlash, but thanks for your courage to do so. I remain hopeful that Airtable can correct their course, but time will tell...

[@suzjo8372]

Pete Deng (CPO) hadn’t been there since inception rather since late 2020.

[@GarethPronovost]

Oh no, thank you so much for correcting me. I felt like he'd been there forever but I really should have double checked before saying that...

[@jolomero]

Like you, Garett, I’m a long time AirTable user and I thank you for both your other great videos and for this one. My concern is that the ‘enterprise’ version almost always seems to mean that the product goes from being well balance with features and price to having fewer features and higher costs that are just not reasonable for a small business where automation can make the difference between being too exhausted to do the job right and enjoying what you do! No-code/Low-code is great for citizen developers (people making their own apps) and ‘enterprise’ seems to be all about IT and much higher volume. Thank you too for the encouraging words to the folks at AirTable (and anywhere else) who have been laid off. It feels like the end of the world, and it’s the beginning of another. 🙏

[@GarethPronovost]

This is EXACTLY my fear. I'm worried that the nice options in the Pro plan will start to disappear and only Enterprise tiers will get any real value out of the software. We all fall on tough times and it's how we react to that that defines who we truly are. If I can help inspire just one person currently suffering from this layoff, then I've done my job 😍

[@BobRutledge]

"Democratize" always sounded like "flower child" speak. EVERY business that grows does what Airtable is doing. I deal in HVAC and Flooring industries. Trane and Carrier goes for the big companies. Mom and pop stores install Goodman, Rheem, etc. Shaw flooring goes for the big projects directly and kicks the mom and pop stores (who were the heart and soul of Shaws growth) to the curb. Home Depot and Lowes will always matter more to Shaw. Maximum profits at the lowest costs. Only hippies and dictators can piss away OPM... Other People's Money. GAP consulting is a product of the "Invisible Hand" that directs Capitalism according to Adam Smith. I have watched all your videos. Great job! Thank you and I look forward to talking with and possibly working with you on a project soon.

[@GarethPronovost]

Hey Bob, thanks for the comment. Personally, I'm a big believer in both ideas here: #1 democratizing software (which to me means to empower everyone to build their own software tools) and #2 capitalism and the "invisible hand" - behind me in this video you may notice a photo from Rockafeller Center of the Atlas statue - a symbol of capitalism in some circles... I think my concern here stems from the conflicted messaging. If Airtable wants to focus on Enterprise, that's a valid strategy. However, it's not the *only* viable strategy. Compare 2 software companies, Microsoft and Salesforce. MS is used commonly and practically everyone has used Excel at one point or another - they democratized spreadsheets! Salesforce, by contrast, is only seen in larger corporations with the appropriate budget. If Airtable wants to become an Enterprise exclusive company, that's great! But it should also come with an announcement that they are abandoning their mission to democratize software, because both can't be true simultaneously. When I hear conflicting messages my alarm bells go off and I assume I'm not getting the full story... Thanks for watching and I hope we can continue to help provide value for you wherever possible!

[@BobRutledge]

@@GarethPronovost MS was a monopoly. Lotus 123 was the "original killer app" in 1983. $500 per user or install. I was there. I used it. Lotus cost $1500 in today's $$. The $20 pro plan is democratized. But Bill Gates...

[@christianadominguez377]

@@GarethPronovost ^^^^ this. The MS/Salesforce comparison is really perfect. I've now rolled some key functions to airtable for a client and these AT annoucements have me concerned that I should start learning a back up option right now - which I don't want to because I've learned AT well now (thanks in no small part to your videos!). Salesforce and most CRM platforms are just way out of reach for small to midsize businesses. Building our own solution is the only option. It's really, really hard to believe that AT can't serve both enterprise and smalls at the same time. When will the other shoe drop? Ugh.

[@crushittv1637]

Thanks for the relevant and timely information. -Candee B.

[@trishamarie6353]

I’ve tinkered with AirTable at work, I’m just not sure it’s what I need for this specific project. Is there a way to contact your team to explain the features we need in a program? I’m looking for assistance setting up whatever program we decide on, but I’m not sure which ones have the features we need.

[@GarethPronovost]

Definitely - you can start with our development application here. If it's a fit, we'll invite you to meet with our team to discuss options.

[@wallstreetwarrior100]

Has anyone looked at Smartsuite? Last January I came across the software and tinkered around with it a bit but didn't do a deep dive. Would love to hear if anyone has spent time in the platform?

[@GarethPronovost]

I'm really enjoying SmartSuite. We just did a comparison video between SS and AT

[@tonydavis3326]

The layoffs are sad news for sure, even more alarming, as Gareth points out, is Airtable's shift to 'enterprise'. The loss of three C-Suite personnel, especially with Product is alarming.

[@GarethPronovost]

I just hope that in focusing on Enterprise, they don't forget the rest of their users.

[@angelakavanagh2813]

Hi, HELP please. I’m in the process of trying to start up a small business. Thought Airtable would be the way to go. Thought it would be fast to get going and easier to work with than Access, which I’m used to. I had a bash with it, watched a number of your videos (which are great btw) but in view of your latest info, would you say it’s not? If so, what would you suggest as an alternative? Also, if I want to create labels, reports, etc., do I need an App with it such as I’ve seen you use (e.g. softr). And, if this is so, is it the same with all no code database? Basically, I need a 1, 2 3 of what to use and the order in which to set things up. Is it possible to contact you directly rather than on an open forum? Thank you in advance, Angela

[@GarethPronovost]

Hi Angela, I don't personally work with client but I have a team that does! Check out our options on our website garethpronovost.com You might also look into this newer Airtable alternative called SmartSuite - we did a comparison video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZDbqJKbntiBlaM

[@DuncanCunningham]

Sounds like an investor, either bank or single voice calling the shots. Doesn’t matter that you’re a private company. I’ve been through this a number of times working with startups and “growth” companies. Little guys are the seeds of big ones. Putting your eggs in big baskets is good for profits. But you become slave to the client that will ditch you at moment they get “whooed” by a competitor. American is built on small businesses. Missing out. We do have a recession, either here already or, coming at us hard.

[@GarethPronovost]

Being enslaved to big business is something I promised myself I wouldn't ever do (again) after learning my lesson the hard way. I hope Airtable is able to weather the storms ahead.

[@jameslangley2196]

Sorry… this sounds bad but the sad music… 😮😅