In 2021, cybersecurity startup Anjuna Security was growing fast with 75 employees, hiring aggressively for a booming market. But when 2022 brought a downturn, landing enterprise clients became difficult. Overextended, the company was forced to conduct two rounds of layoffs.
CEO Ayal Yogev explained on TechCrunch’s Build Mode how the company survived. Cutting costs was just one step; the harder task was motivating the remaining team. Anjuna’s rebound was anchored in a culture built on one idea: care. This meant transparency with employees and compassionate support for those departing, including help finding new jobs.
The company avoided eroding trust by acting quickly and avoiding blame. Instead, they focused on learning from missteps. Today, Anjuna rebuilds with more deliberate hiring, ties sales to real demand, and uses tools like AI for efficiency without overexpansion.