TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - CEO of PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Andre Soelistyo offered an apology to employees affected by the layoffs last Friday. The merger of ride-hailing provider Gojek and e-commerce firm Tokopedia laid off 1,300 workers or about 12% percent of its total employees in Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and India on Friday, November 18, 2022.

"I apologize for not conveying this decision earlier," said Andre in a statement that Tempo received on Friday, November 18, 2022.

According to Andre, reducing the workforce was an extremely hard and complex decision so it took time to make sure everything was carefully planned and that the affected employees received the best treatment.

Andre claimed that throughout the 18 months of union between Tokopedia and Gojek, the country's tech giant had gone through many challenges and broke through many obstacles. One of the proudest and most complicated moments, he added, was when GoTo decided to go public in the midst of the global pandemic.

"I'm sure you remember that we gave this IPO project named "Proyek Merdeka" [Independence Project] because Will and I want to emphasize that this is the initial stage of our journey to make the company truly financially independent," Andre explained.

At that time, the IPO was expected to help the company no longer be dependent on external capital to operate. However, in recent years, the world is facing various shocks amidst the lingering pandemic.

"This uncertainty will persist for some time ahead, and we can't do much to change it," said Andre.

Therefore, he argued that GoTo needed to adapt to progress by focusing on things that could be controlled. The company must manage operational expenses and ensure that the business remained agile in order to achieve its goals.

"I really hope we can build a company that provides space for all of us. Every moment that we spend together, all the ideas and enthusiasm that we feel, is highly valuable to me. For that, from the bottom of my heart, I apologize," the GoTo CEO remarked.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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