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What's up with SiFive?
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MK14:

--- Quote from: ataradov on October 24, 2023, 10:15:17 pm ---So, clickbait title "Why has the most influential RISC-V company just fired everyone?" transforms into 20% layoff, which is pretty standard with resent industry slowdown.

--- End quote ---

I'm speculating.  But maybe this information has 'leaked out', too early.  Before they (SiFive) have had time to inform everyone involved, and before the official announcements, are fully agreed and polished off, by management.

I.e. Tell the people who are being layed off first.

Then later, make an official announcement, to the world.
TimFox:
From the company announcement in my post above:

“In a statement sent to Tom’s Hardware late on Tuesday, SiFive confirmed that it was laying off about 20% of its employees (~ 140) from a variety of different groups.“As we identify and focus on our greatest opportunities, SiFive is shifting to best meet our customers’s fast-changing requirements by undergoing a strategic refocusing of all our global teams,” a statement by SiFive reads. “Unfortunately, with this realignment, approximately 20% of employees across all different business groups and levels were impacted. The employees are receiving severance and outplacement assistance.”

I've seen this kind of employment adjustment made many times in the past.
SiliconWizard:
It's been announced on Reuters, so it definitely doesn't look like an unfortunate leak.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/open-source-arm-competitor-sifive-lays-off-20-staff-2023-10-24/
jwet:
This is a much less dire situation than you might think- its just a realignment- the company is very healthy but finds itself a bit off track either accidentally or purposefully.  I suggest you read some of the EE Professional Journals like EE Times- it will give you a better perspective of what is really going on.

SiFive has two business directions- the one that is most visible to developers and hobbyists is their standard products of RISC-V based products and cheap dev boards.  They have seeded the market with some standard products called "Essentials", these are promotion and development vehicles. They made a strong push into the market to enable it with tools, partnerships, etc.  These standard products can be looked at as development systems.  They needed to do this but this wasn't their real goal.  This work is complete and now they are realigning to do more of their real goal- custom IP.  As a little startup, they probably liked the revenue produced by these products but it was a distraction and was muddying their image in the market.  They want to be "ARM not Microchip".  The real business is and has always been customs for big customers like automotive.  They will now focus on this solely.  Developers and Hobbyists often don't see the real strategy a company is pursuing- they get too close to their products and miss the point of the business.

abeyer:

--- Quote from: jwet on October 25, 2023, 03:31:51 pm ---now they are realigning to do more of their real goal- custom IP

--- End quote ---

That seems to be the exact opposite of what the linked press release says:


--- Quote ---The company is scaling back its effort to offer customized designs for customers, beyond the standard blueprints that are available.
--- End quote ---
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