Stripe Layoff Email Blunder: Cartoon Duck Sent to Fired Employees

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Payments-software company Stripe mistakenly included an image of a cartoon duck in layoff notifications sent to some employees this week, Business Insider has learned. The error occurred as the company cut approximately 3.5% of its workforce, primarily in product, engineering, and operations roles.

The image, attached as a PDF, depicted a yellow duck with brown feathers on its wing and was labeled “US-Non-California Duck.” Employees also received incorrect termination dates in the email. A Stripe spokesperson confirmed the errors and directed Business Insider to a follow-up email from Rob McIntosh, the company’s chief people officer.

“I also want to note that some impacted Stripes received a notification error to their personal email accounts Monday evening PT,” McIntosh wrote. “I apologize for the error and any confusion it caused. Corrected and full notifications have since been sent to all impacted Stripes.”

In a separate email to staff, McIntosh emphasized that Stripe still plans to grow its workforce to about 10,000 employees by the end of the year. The layoffs come as part of broader restructuring efforts within the company.

The duck image quickly became a topic of discussion among employees on the Blind app, a platform for professional communities. One employee questioned whether others had received the image, with one respondent calling it “another indication the comms to those laid off were flubbed completely.” Another joked, “Wonder if there’s a California duck,” while a third suggested creating a Slack emoji of the duck.

Stripe, which provides payment software to millions of businesses, has faced similar challenges in recent years. In 2022, the company laid off more than 1,000 employees, with CEO Patrick Collison issuing a candid letter explaining the decision.

This latest incident highlights the challenges companies face in managing sensitive communications during layoffs. Stripe has not commented further on the matter beyond the follow-up email from McIntosh.