StarkWare Announces Layoffs and Restructuring into Two Business Units, Betting on Monetization of Its Own Products

According to The Block, zero-knowledge proof scaling developer StarkWare has announced layoffs and an internal restructuring. In an all-hands meeting, co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson stated the company had “grown too large” and needed to return to a “startup mode” to accelerate product-market fit. The specific number of employees to be laid off and the timeline remain undisclosed, though the company pledged severance packages exceeding legal requirements. Following the restructuring, StarkWare will split into two independent business units: (1) a revenue-oriented applications unit, led by current Chief Product Officer Avihu Levy as General Manager, focused on developing monetizable products built atop StarkWare’s proprietary tech stack; and (2) the Starknet development unit, led by current Head of Product Tom Brand. Each unit will have its own dedicated engineering, product, and marketing teams. Strategically, StarkWare plans to take full ownership of its entire blockchain proof technology stack—including Cairo, Sierra, and quantum-resistant STARK cryptography—reducing reliance on external Layer 1 blockchains and application teams. Ben-Sasson said the company would shift from “doing many things well” to “doing a few things exceptionally well,” concentrating on high-potential, high-value directions uniquely achievable by StarkWare. Additionally, COO Oren Katz has tendered his resignation and will officially depart at the end of April.