Mercedes-Benz makes job cuts at cloud-focused R&D office in Seattle

Mercedes-Benz laid off an unspecified number of employees from the Seattle office of its North American research and development arm, the company confirmed Wednesday.

“In the normal course of business, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America (MBRDNA) made the difficult decision to reduce a limited number of roles in our Seattle office,” A Mercedes-Benz representative said in an emailed statement to GeekWire.

The automaker, a division of Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler AG, first opened the office in 2017, with plans at the time to employ up to 150 software engineers in Seattle. A website for the office, which is located downtown at 920 Fifth Ave., says there are 81 employees. The Mercedes-Benz rep did not say how many are still there after the cuts.

Mercedes-Benz’s focus in Seattle is on cloud computing technologies for all internet-connected aspects in its cars.

The company operates five other research and development offices in the U.S. — three in California and two in Michigan.

Mercedes-Benz said it was “committed to providing support” to affected employees and added in its statement that the job cuts were “necessary for the continued success of our company.”

Related:

• GeekWire’s list of Seattle-Area Engineering Centers established by out-of-town companies.
• Layoff Tracker: GeekWire’s regularly updated list of layoffs in the Pacific Northwest