GoPro lays off nearly 300 employees from its drone division: Report

GoPro has decided to lay off 200-300 employees, mainly from its Karma drone division, according to a report from TechCrunch. The company has sent out a letter to these employees in which the company stated that they are restructuring “to better align our resources with business requirements,” though they will remain on the payroll until February 16.

Cuts from GoPro's aerial division follow a disastrous launch of the Karma. GoPro was developing a drone with DJI but later decided to go alone and develop Karma. Shortly after it was released, customers reported that it was dropping out of the sky, because its batteries were disconnecting. The company also faced competition from DJI's Mavic Pro Drone which had features that Karma lacked such as "follow me" mode.

GoPro's downsizing of employees follows a string of layoffs over the past few years. At the end of 2016, it laid off 15 percent of its staff and eliminated its entertainment division. And in March last year, it cut about 17 percent of its staff or about 270 jobs.

The series of layoffs marks the company's continued efforts to grapple with a decline in sales and mounting competition.