Rivian will cut around 150 jobs, its second small staff reduction this year, as the U.S. electric vehicle startup positions itself for the launch of its more affordable R2 SUV in 2026.
The company confirmed the layoffs were concentrated in its commercial team, which oversees sales and service operations. Employees affected by the reduction will be eligible for rehire and encouraged to apply for other open roles. The Wall Street Journal first reported the cuts earlier in the day.
The latest reduction follows a similar 1% workforce cut in June that targeted manufacturing roles. Rivian has repeatedly adjusted its workforce over the past two years, including a 10% layoff in early 2024 and another smaller cut that April. The company began 2025 with about 15,000 employees worldwide.
Rivian is simultaneously pressing ahead with new technology and products. In August, Chief Executive RJ Scaringe said the company is working toward point-to-point hands-free driving by 2026, aiming to move beyond driver-assistance systems that require constant attention. “We think we’ll probably end up with like, maybe, five or six different vehicles,” Scaringe said on the Tosh Show podcast. “So after R1, there’s R2 and R3. And after R2 and R3, there’s R4 and R5. And that’s as far out as our product plan goes today, and what we’re working on, but there may be like an R6.”
The R2 is set to be followed by the smaller R3 around 2028 once Rivian’s new Georgia factory comes online. Both models are designed to broaden the company’s lineup beyond its premium R1 trucks and SUVs, competing more directly in the mass-market EV segment.