After last week’s news that arts corporation Meow Wolf would conduct its second mass layoff of the year on Dec. 12, the company today announced the final number of employees affected. According to a statement from Vice President of PR & Communications Kati Murphy, Meow Wolf will cut 75 jobs companywide—roughly 20% of its non-exhibition workers—including 45 in Santa Fe.
“This includes all levels of the organization, including senior leadership roles. These changes were made with great care and we are mindful of their impact on our team and broader community,” the statement reads. “This moment represents both a difficult transition and an opportunity to refocus Meow Wolf’s future strategy. We are deeply grateful to all the individuals who are departing for their contributions to Meow Wolf. Their passion, creativity and dedication have shaped the company’s growth and its standing as a leader in the immersive arts.”
There is no word yet on what specific departments will face cuts, though Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa told SFR last week that any layoffs likely won’t change the company's plans for expansion into Los Angeles by 2026. Murphy tells SFR that about 70% of affected employees companywide are not members of the Meow Wolf Workers Collective union; and 10% are at a vice president level or above.
News of the layoffs first began to circulate within the company on Dec. 2 with Meow Wolf offering a so-called “voluntary separation” package that would have allowed employees to quit their jobs of their own volition. As of press time, company officials did not provide numbers for how many employees took that deal, and some employees have still not been notified of their status.
Meanwhile, an employee-spurred online petition sponsored by the Meow Wolf Workers Collective calling for Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa to step down continues to gain steam and has garnered nearly 600 signatures thus far.
“We believe that Mr. Tolosa’s leadership has put Meow Wolf in a less stable financial and creative condition than it was 3 years ago,” union officials said in a statement to SFR on Wednesday. “His preference for a top-heavy structure of executives has turned Meow Wolf into a corporate revolving door for out-of-touch entertainment executives that bleeds money. We have not finished a single project begun under his leadership and have increasingly hollowed out the creative teams that have made Meow Wolf successful thus far.”
Tolosa tells SFR he does not plan to step down.
In response to today's layoffs, the MWWC released a new statement saying that “this is a sad day for Meow Wolf workers and fans.”
“We must return to our creative roots and focus on the people who make Meow Wolf what it is. We must remember that we build worlds together. Meow Wolf is more than IP. It is the people who make these things. And it is the people who enjoy them," it reads. "We would like to acknowledge the executives who have been willing to work with the union to lower the number of unionized workers who were laid off. They see that Meow Wolf is its people as well as its products, and that the creative force of Meow Wolf does not reside in executives or one single individual’s supposed 'vision.' The legacy of Meow Wolf and its fans deserve better. This is a shout in the storm of unrestrained capitalist nonsense. We can do this a different way."
Murphy adds that the company will do what it can to help outgoing workers.
"We are offering a comprehensive separation package to those affected, including severance, extended healthcare coverage and outplacement services for career support," she tells SFR in yet another statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
