The short answer
The Trade Desk is cutting about 15% of its total workforce, according to an 8-K the company filed with the SEC on September 4, 2026 for an event dated September 3. The company has not said how many people that is, and a spokesperson declined to give a number to CFO Dive. PPC Land estimated about 575 roles based on the 3,843 full-time employees in the company's 10-K for the end of 2025, and the Pacific Coast Business Times estimated about 585 without stating its basis. These are job cuts, and the 8-K says they were to be substantially complete in the third quarter of 2026.
What happened
CEO Jeff Green emailed employees on the evening of September 3, 2026, according to CFO Dive and PPC Land, and the company published the note in The Current, its own trade publication, per PPC Land. CFO Dive reported that affected employees were to be notified within about 15 minutes of the email. PPC Land reported that departures took effect September 4 and that affected staff received their paperwork at personal email addresses.
An 8-K is a form a public company files with the SEC to report a big event. The Trade Desk's 8-K, signed by Chief Legal Officer Jay R. Grant, says the company is reorganizing to focus its resources on its highest-priority growth areas and will reduce total headcount by about 15%.
Who is affected
The cuts are global. In his note, Green wrote, "Tomorrow, The Trade Desk will be smaller by about 15% of employee count globally," per PPC Land. The company gave no breakdown by team or region, according to PPC Land and the Pacific Coast Business Times. PPC Land reported, citing the 10-K, that about 63% of the company's staff were in North America at the end of 2025, 20% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 17% in Asia Pacific. The Pacific Coast Business Times, which covers the company's Ventura, California headquarters, reported no filing under the federal WARN Act, the law that requires 60 days' notice for large layoffs at a single site.
When it takes effect
Departures took effect September 4, 2026, according to PPC Land. The 8-K says the reduction will be substantially completed during the third quarter of 2026, which ended September 30, and that the company expects to record the related charges in that quarter.
What the company said
The 8-K describes the cuts as a company-wide effort to align resources with the company's highest-priority growth opportunities. CFO Dive reported that Green's email said the company wants to organize into smaller teams so it can move with more agility and focus, and the Pacific Coast Business Times reported that he described teams organized into smaller pods and smaller scrums. Green also wrote that the company's finances are healthy, with about $1.5 billion in cash and no debt, per CFO Dive and PPC Land, and that layoffs have not been a common practice at the company, per the Pacific Coast Business Times.
CFO Dive reported that in the second-quarter earnings report in August, Green said the quarter did not meet the company's standard, and that net income for the quarter was $64 million, down from $90 million a year earlier.
Severance and support
The 8-K estimates cash restructuring and related charges of about $39 million to $51 million, mainly for employee severance and benefits, partly offset by a reversal of about $4 million to $5 million in stock-based compensation. CFO Dive and PPC Land reported that departing employees receive transition packages, but PPC Land noted the company did not describe their terms.
Earlier cuts at The Trade Desk
PPC Land reported that on December 17, 2025, the company dismissed about 39 employees, under 1% of staff, at an all-hands meeting. PPC Land also reported that in December 2024 the company carried out what Green called the largest reorganization in its history, which restructured engineering into about 100 scrum teams. PPC Land described the September 2026 round as by a wide margin the largest of the company's three workforce actions in under two years.
Questions people ask
How many people did The Trade Desk lay off?
The company's 8-K says about 15% of its total workforce, and a spokesperson declined to give a number to CFO Dive. PPC Land estimated about 575 roles using the 3,843 full-time employees in the 2025 10-K, and the Pacific Coast Business Times estimated about 585 without stating its basis.
When did The Trade Desk layoffs happen?
Jeff Green emailed employees on September 3, 2026 and departures took effect September 4, per PPC Land and CFO Dive. The 8-K says the reduction was to be substantially complete in the third quarter of 2026.
Does everyone laid off from The Trade Desk get severance?
The 8-K sets aside $39 million to $51 million mainly for severance and benefits, and CFO Dive and PPC Land reported that departing employees receive transition packages. The company has not published the terms.
Why did The Trade Desk cut jobs?
The 8-K says the company is reorganizing to focus resources on its highest-priority growth areas. CFO Dive reported that Green's email said the goal is smaller teams that move with more agility and focus, and that the company is financially healthy.