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Following staff reductions in April that cost more than 150 employees their jobs across locations in New Mexico, Texas, Nevada and Colorado, arts corporation Meow Wolf today announced it will once again lay off workers.
“Meow Wolf is addressing two key challenges: Evolving trends in the arts and entertainment space, which have included lower visitation patterns, and a shift in our internal roadmap with our next exhibition now planned for late 2026,” a company statement reads, referring to the company’s planned expansion into Los Angeles in 2026, which it announced a few weeks after April’s layoffs.
“In response to this, we have internally announced a strategic restructuring of our central staff to align with our future priorities,” the statement continues. “As part of this process, we offered eligible employees the option to apply for a voluntary separation package—an approach that reflects our commitment to providing thoughtful and compassionate support during this transition. This step allows employees to make decisions that best align with their personal and professional goals, while helping us adapt thoughtfully to our changing landscape.”
The statement did not include details regarding the voluntary separation packages. Moreover, because the number of employees who ultimately agree to the terms will likely inform the final number of layoffs, Meow Wolf Vice President of Public Relations Kati Murphy tells SFR the company won’t know the final numbers until a later date.
The cuts represent the latest challenge for Meow Wolf. In addition to laying off workers in April, CEO Jose Tolosa took a 10% pay reduction from his undisclosed salary, as did his “direct-report” employees, according to the company. Meow Wolf also slashed roughly $1 million from its travel budget at the time and ended an undisclosed number of software contracts. In 2020, Meow Wolf laid off 201 workers claiming it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though SFR later learned those layoffs were likely due to rapid growth and expansion. In the time since, Meow Wolf has opened exhibits in Las Vegas, Nev.; Denver, Colo.; and Grapevine, Texas.
In response to the announced pending cuts, the Meow Wolf Workers Collective union—which was ratified in 2022 under the umbrella of the Communication Workers of America—released a statement covering a number of issues. These include challenging company leadership to hold Tolosa and other C-suite employees accountable for their decision-making by reducing executive level positions at the company; to honor union contracts and relations; and to move away from a contractor-focused model while prioritizing employees with institutional knowledge and increased floor staff.
“The workers at the bottom should not be the tool to ‘fix’ decisions at the top,” the statement reads. “It is especially despicable this time of year. Meow Wolf deserves better and our guests deserve better.”
Meanwhile, an open online petition sponsored by the MWWC calling for Tolosa to step down has garnered more than 160 signatures as of this writing.
“We, the employees of Meow Wolf, representing departments, titles and disciplines from across the company present this letter as a comprehensive vote of no confidence in your ability to lead this company forward,” the petition reads in part. “We have lost faith in your ability to manage Meow Wolf effectively, and demand your immediate resignation.”
The petition can be read in full here.
Tolosa tells SFR he will not step down. “Of course not,” he says. The company, he notes, “learned a lot in 2022 and 2023” about how to operate its exhibitions. The reductions in April, he says, incorporated that understanding and “today we’re running significantly more successful exhibitions.” The company also decided to cancel a 2025 project that was never announced publicly.
“Since 2022…we successfully launched two of three exhibitions” he says, referring to Grapevine’s The Real Unreal and Houston’s Radio Tave and, “after finishing in Houston, we find ourselves with a roadmap where we’re going on a 24-month hiatus between Houston and LA.”
Today’s announcement, Tolosa says, is the company “responding to business circumstances."
“We have a growth path,” he adds. “Despite the business circumstances, everyone is suffering in 2024, and we are today running our exhibitions as successfully as we can.”
Meow Wolf union members remain unconvinced. According to Senior Story Editor & Lore Keeper and and union Executive Vice President Michael J. Wilson, the layoffs make staying optimistic about the company’s future difficult.
“The union currently does not particularly have faith in the leadership of the company,” he says. “It has been shown time and time again there are poor decisions being made both financially and creatively. For example, we have not finished a single project we have stated since the pandemic. In the last three years, under current leadership, we have not finished a project. Plus, we’ve had three layoffs in the last three years with two just in the last year.”
Wilson says that while the MWWC has sponsored the petition calling for Tolosa’s resignation, it’s an employee-wide action—and a public one at that, signable by anyone.
“We care about the thing, we want to save the thing, we want it to be great,” he continues. “We just want to be clear that Meow Wolf is a top-heavy company. We are cognizant that business decisions have to be made and that layoffs are an unfortunate part of corporate America, especially these days. But the company should honor our union contracts and abide by fair labor practices. That’s all we’re asking—but there’s a version of this that’s less painful and a version that’s more painful, and we think they’re choosing to be less equitable.”
Former CEO and current Chief Vision Officer Vince Kadlubek characterizes the layoffs as a natural part of the company’s “ebb and flow,” and said he could not elaborate on which positions would be eliminated—or even be sure if his position will remain. Still, he says, he stands behind Tolosa.
“I can speak firsthand from experience as former CEO of a much smaller version of this company,” he says. “I totally honor and recognize the emotion of the moment and the perspectives of the employees. We’re trying to figure out a sustainable model that can carry with it more consistency.”
That being said, he noted, “From my perspective, we have incredible potential ahead of us and we’ve accomplished things that are beyond even our wildest dreams. For being a company that’s only eight years old and for having five of these massive complex exhibitions open, we’re learning fast and navigating the waters.”
Wilson and Kadlubek both confirm that the window for voluntary separation runs through Thursday with final layoffs slated for Dec. 12.
“That means the company will go through two full weeks of feeling like shit,” Wilson adds. “The two weeks before Christmas.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
