eBay has brought to a close its operations in Manchester, four years after it acquired KnownOrigin for an undisclosed sum.
The NFT marketplace was described at the time by eBay’s CEO Jamie Iannone as a “perfect addition to our community of sellers and buyers”, with KnownOrigin integrated into eBay’s web3 division, which included OneOf and TCGplayer.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Iannone announced 1,000 job cuts, with insiders telling Prolific North that the level of layoffs within the Manchester team “was brutal” with a reported 30% of staff cut.
A few months later, KnownOrigin stated on X: “After careful consideration and evaluation we can confirm KnownOrigin will continue to wind down its on-chain marketplaces & minter (and signpost to secondary marketplaces) over the upcoming weeks.”
Ray Mosley, eBay’s Head of Design in Manchester, said in a post on LinkedIn: “It’s been a ride at eBay but after 3 years it’s over and find myself for the first time in my career with a bit of time to gather my thoughts and take more than a 3 week break in over 25 years of working. I’m part of the lay-offs in eBay along with all my colleagues in Manchester.”
He added: “We had a wonderful culture going on, where delivering strong work was a given but keeping each other motivated, laughing and cared about was the real secret sauce. They are all available if you know who they are and want to give them an awesome role to work in.
“[…] I’m thankful for the adventures and I have never had so many full on, tears in eyes, laughter on the regular with a team before. It was genuinely a great time and it makes me sad it’s not my everyday.”
Prolific North asked eBay for a comment and a spokesperson said: “We are taking steps to reinvest across our business and align our structure with our strategic priorities, which will affect certain roles across our workforce. We are grateful for the contributions of the employees impacted and are committed to supporting them with care and respect.”
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Writing on Linkedin, another staffer, Luke Strugnell O’Donnell added: “After 5 years, my time at eBay has come to an end. From being employee number 1 at KnownOrigin and riding the crest of the NFT wave, to being acquired by eBay and transitioning into the world of big tech, it’s safe to say it’s been a wild ride!
“Massive thanks to Andy Gray, James Morgan and David Moore, who took a chance on an art graduate wanting to transition into software engineering, supported my apprenticeship, and put their trust in me all these years.”
