According to Cointelegraph, Stack Overflow, a developer and programmer platform, is reducing its workforce by approximately 28% due to the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar announced the decision on October 16, citing macroeconomic pressures affecting the entire tech industry.
The 15-year-old tech-focused question-and-answer forum, which serves millions of developers, coders, and enthusiasts, doubled its headcount in 2022 to 540. This week's layoffs account for around 150 employees. Stack Overflow's web traffic has seen a small decline compared to 2022, falling by an average of 5%. The company attributes this to developers trying GPT-4 after its release in March.
Technology outlets such as Ars Technica have linked the rise of AI chatbots to declines in the traffic and usage of traditional social knowledge-sharing platforms like forums. In response, Stack Overflow announced its own AI solution, Overflow AI, in July. The goal is to leverage the platform's community knowledge to power AI that provides developers with personalized, trustworthy solutions.