Instant messaging and VoIP social platform, Discord, has become the latest tech firm to make job cuts impacting 17% of its workforce.

Discord CEO Jason Citron said in a memo to employees that 170 people across various departments after witnessing 5x more growth since 2020 and “becoming less efficient” in how the platform operates.

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His statement continued: “Today, we are increasingly clear on the need to sharpen our focus and improve the way we work together to bring more agility to our organisation.

“This is what largely drove the decision to reduce the size of our workforce.”

According to Citron, the decision was “not taken lightly” and is one that has the conviction to better serve its users and business.

He added: “While difficult, I am confident this will put us in the best position to continue building a strong and profitable business that delivers amazing products for our users and supports our mission for years to come.”

The move comes as both Google and Twitch announced a raft of job cuts impacting thousands of its employees.

In a move mirroring industry turbulence witnessed in the challenging landscape of last year, the technology giants join the likes of Meta, and Amazon who laid off hundreds of employees last year.