https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/17/essential-lays-off-nearly-one-third-of-its-staff/ > Layoffs are never an easy pill to swallow, but for Essential, it seems the writing was on the wall for a while with this one. After months of reports highlighting its struggles, the Andy Rubin-led smartphone startup has announced some major layoffs. > All told, the company will be losing around 30 percent of its staff.