Stability AI lays off roughly 10 percent of its workforce

Stability AI laid off 20 employees just a day after announcing the expansion of access to its new flagship model. This comes after weeks of upheaval that saw its founding CEO leave the company. 

CNBC reports that the layoffs at the UK-based AI company, which runs the Stable Diffusion text-to-image model, represent roughly 10 percent of its workforce. In a memo to staff, interim CEOs Shan Shan Wong and Christian LaForte say the decision to let go of employees is part of a “strategic plan to reduce our cost-base, strengthen support with our investors and partners, and enable teams to continue developing and releasing innovative products.”

The company did not say which departments were affected by layoffs, according to reports.

Stability has had a rocky few months, with several high-profile researchers and its founder and CEO, Emad Mostaque, leaving the company. Mostaque stepped down from his role and the company’s board in March, stating he wants to “pursue decentralized AI.” 

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But while the company continues to release AI models, it’s also been the subject of lawsuits alleging it used copyrighted material to train its models. Getty Images sued Stability last year. The case will go to trial in the UK soon.