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Livspace lays off nearly 1,000 employees, co-founder Saurabh Jain quits after 11 years
Livspace announced in a LinkedIn post that co-founder Saurabh Jain left the company to embark on his next entrepreneurial chapter.
Saurabh Jain, co-founder of Bengaluru-based Livspace, has stepped down from his position as the CEO. In a LinkedIn post, he hinted at “working on something new” without explicitly mentioning the reason behind his exit. This came amid the reports of the company laying off over 1,000 employees, nearly 12 percent of its total workforce.
Livspace in a statement to HT.com said that the company is fundamentally reorganising its internal operations to become an AI-native agentic organisation.
The spokesperson added, "To be clear, this isn't a reactive cost-cut. It’s a strategic reallocation of resources.”
What did Saurabh Jain post?
“After more than a decade building Livspace, I’m stepping into my next chapter with pride in what we’ve created and clarity about what lies ahead,” Jain wrote.
He continued that he started the company with a simple belief: “Home interiors in India could be built differently.” Recalling his journey for over a decade, he shared, “What followed was a journey of conviction, resilience, hard calls, and extraordinary people. From early uncertainty to building a category-defining company, this experience has shaped me in ways I’ll carry forever.”
In his post, he expressed his gratitude to everyone involved with the organisation.
“I’m deeply grateful to the teams, partners, board members, and homeowners who trusted us and built this alongside me. What stands today is a reflection of collective grit and shared ambition. I will always cheer for Livspace and remain deeply optimistic about its future. As we say, I will always remain a proud Spacer, forever! Ramakant Sharma and Anuj S.”
Why did he quit?
Saurabh Jain stated, “As I take a brief pause to reflect, I’m also working on something new — a space I’ve been thinking about deeply. I’ll share more soon. Sometimes you have to close a meaningful chapter — not because the story ends, but because a bigger one is ready to begin.”
How did social media react?
Founder Vaishali Sampath shared, “Building structure in an unorganised industry takes real conviction. What you’ve built has shaped the ecosystem meaningfully. Wishing you continued impact and success in whatever you build next.”
Pepperfry.com CEO Ashish Shah posted, “Best Wishes Saurabh Jain for what lies ahead. Great work building a category defining business at Livspace. I am sure you are onto building another big one! Meet soon.”
A third expressed, “Best time to build anew!” A fourth wrote, “Congratulations on an incredible journey, it's truly inspiring. Best wishes as you step into this next chapter.”
What did Livspace post about Saurabh Jain?
“After 11 remarkable years, Saurabh Jain, Co-founder of Livspace, has decided to move on to embark on his next entrepreneurial chapter. Saurabh has been a cornerstone of this organization since its earliest days. Joining us when we were just a vision, he was instrumental in architecting the scale and success Livspace enjoys today. His journey with us has been defined by relentless dedication and a builder’s mindset - qualities that helped transform a startup into a market leader,” read the organization's statement on LinkedIn.
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“Saurabh’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of this company. As he moves on to build his next big thing, we carry his vision forward with gratitude and excitement. We can’t wait to see what he creates next. We thank him for everything and wish him the very best!” it added.
A B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Jain joined Livspace, an e-commerce-based interior design company, in 2015. He announced his exit after almost 11 years.
What did Livspace say about the layoffs? Read full statement:
Below is the statement Livspace spokesperson shared with HT.com.
“At Livspace, we’ve always been a technology-first company. As we look at the next phase of our growth, we are fundamentally reorganizing our internal operations to become an AI-native agentic organization. What this means in practice is that we’ve integrated advanced AI agents and automation across our core functions—Sales, Ops, Design, and Marketing. In many areas, tasks that were previously manual are now handled by intelligent systems, while our existing teams are seeing their productivity supercharged.
To be clear, this isn't a reactive cost-cut. It’s a strategic reallocation of resources. We are investing heavily in AI and technology that allows us to deliver better customer outcomes with more precision. We are choosing to lean into the future of work rather than clinging to legacy operational models.
Design- AI-driven mood boarding and 3D rendering have reduced the time from concept to visualization by 60%, allowing designers to focus on the "art" rather than the "clicks."
Sales- AI led voicing agents, lead-scoring and automated nurturing agents now handle the initial funnel, ensuring our sales experts only spend time on high-intent, complex consultations.
Operations- Our supply chain and project tracking are now governed by predictive AI, reducing the need for manual check-ins and human monitoring of delivery timelines.
Marketing- We’ve moved from manual ad creation to a 'Creative Factory' model. Our output has increased 10x, allowing us to be relevant to every homeowner in India
This hasn't been a sudden, singular event. Rather, it has been a measured, phased transition involving approximately 12% of our workforce. This realignment has taken place gradually over the last six months as we meticulously tested and deployed our AI agents across various functions. This deliberate pace allowed us to ensure that as manual roles were phased out, our automated systems were fully capable of maintaining the high standard of service our customers expect. It was a strategic rollout, not a reactive moment.
In tandem with our technological evolution, we are also seeing a natural transition in our leadership. After 11 remarkable years, our co-founder, Saurabh Jain, has decided to move on to pursue his personal interests.
Saurabh has been a cornerstone of Livspace since day one and was absolutely instrumental in scaling the company to its current heights. He leaves us at a moment of profound transformation, having helped lay the groundwork for this new AI-driven era. We view this as a 'graduation' of sorts—Saurabh has built a lasting legacy, and we are excited to see what he does next as we carry his vision forward.”
