CrossFit has laid off about 20 percent of its corporate staff, the company confirmed to Club Industry, although it did not share exactly how many people or which departments were impacted.
The layoffs occurred at the end of April as CrossFit focuses on its 2023 NoBull CrossFit Games. The semifinals are occurring April 28-June 4, and the finals will occur Aug. 1-6. However, the layoffs will not affect the Games, according to a spokesperson.
The layoffs were a strategic decision and were not driven by balance sheets or rumored economic difficulties, the spokesperson said, and they will not affect the relationships or commitments to affiliates or partners.
“For the past few months, we have been working on how to set up our organization to execute most effectively against the 2030 vision that we shared earlier this year: to reach 30 million people while building strong affiliates and coaches,” CrossFit LLC Chief Executive Officer Don Faul said in a statement sent to Club Industry. “In assessing our organization and cost structure while considering the current economic environment, it became clear that we needed to make some changes. While this was an incredibly hard decision, these reductions will help us create a more sustainable business model, ensure that we're prepared for economic uncertainty, and position us to make some big bets against our most important priorities.”
In August 2022, Faul was named as CEO after Eric Roza, who bought CrossFit in June 2020, stepped down as CEO in February 2022. Roza remains as chairman of the board.