Archinect - News

AIA lays off 16% of workforce

2024-09-20T18:36:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has laid off 16% of its national staff, as reported by Architectural Record, amounting to 28 staff members. This follows months of internal controversy, including misconduct claims against CEO Lakisha Woods, which outside investigators cleared, as previously covered by Archinect:

AIA members decry nepotism and other misconduct claims, from Jun 10, '24

AIA Board of Trustees issues statement in response to controversy, from Jun 13, '24

Outside investigators clear AIA leadership of any wrongdoing after misconduct claims, from Aug 28, '24

Autodesk announces layoffs of 250 employees

2023-02-07T15:41:00-05:00

Software company Autodesk is cutting its total global workforce by less than 2 percent, with about 250 workers affected. A spokesperson for the San Francisco-based firm said the layoffs are part of Autodesk’s plans for its 2024 fiscal year, which began this week.

The company maintains it is still hiring for a number of positions in different locations globally. The layoffs come as an increasing number of non-architect AEC professionals are using BIM software in their day-to-day workflows, despite criticism from firms of a lack of “serious development” regarding Autodesk's proprietary software.

The move puts the company squarely in line with Amazon, Meta, and other tech giants whose cutbacks call into question employment prospects of workers. CRN also reported the company’s stock to be down 7% in the last twelve months.

National Building Museum permanently cuts two-thirds of staff

2020-05-26T13:48:00-04:00

Less than a month after it put much of its staff on furlough, the National Building Museum is permanently cutting two-thirds of its staff, citing loss of revenue due to the pandemic. More than 40 administrative and hourly visitor services positions will be eliminated, effective June 1, a museum spokesperson confirmed to DCist on Wednesday. That will leave just 18 core staff who are on partial furlough and two staff members working on grant-based projects.

According to DCist, much of the National Building Museum's revenue comes from renting out the Great Hall, but since the future of large gatherings in D.C. remains uncertain, museum leaders aren't hopeful that lost income will resurface in the coming months. The museum had already furloughed all visitor employees back in April and only partially furloughed the remaining staff on May 1st, reports DCist.