• Publish Your article
  • Editorial Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Thursday, August 28, 2025
No Result
View All Result
UK Herald
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Sports
    England rugby stadium Twickenham given new name after more than 100 years in shock new deal

    England rugby stadium Twickenham given new name after more than 100 years in shock new deal

    Peter Morgan dead at 65: Former Wales and Lions rugby star who became a politician passes away as club pays tribute

    Peter Morgan dead at 65: Former Wales and Lions rugby star who became a politician passes away as club pays tribute

    Horse racing tips: Unexposed Group 1 contender can stun the big guns at 14-1

    Horse racing tips: Unexposed Group 1 contender can stun the big guns at 14-1

    Woman ‘raped seven times by two French rugby stars who left her riddled with bite marks & with horror injuries’

    Woman ‘raped seven times by two French rugby stars who left her riddled with bite marks & with horror injuries’

    Horse racing tips: Gary Moore’s charge can gain revenge after falling last time out

    Horse racing tips: Gary Moore’s charge can gain revenge after falling last time out

    Ian Buckett dead at 56: Former Wales rugby star who was ‘admired and feared equally’ dies as tributes pour in

    Ian Buckett dead at 56: Former Wales rugby star who was ‘admired and feared equally’ dies as tributes pour in

    Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these longshots including 9-1 fancy

    Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these longshots including 9-1 fancy

    Shayne Philpott dead at 58 – New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend dies after suffering ‘medical event’

    Shayne Philpott dead at 58 – New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend dies after suffering ‘medical event’

    Horse racing tips: This 7-1 chance appears to have been laid out for race he won last year

    Horse racing tips: This 7-1 chance appears to have been laid out for race he won last year

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • food
    • Health
    • Travel
    Gigantic £777,577,500 cruise ship with record-breaking water park to launch from UK

    Gigantic £777,577,500 cruise ship with record-breaking water park to launch from UK

    British Airways First Lounge at Heathrow Airport review: ‘So relaxing, I missed the final boarding call’

    British Airways First Lounge at Heathrow Airport review: ‘So relaxing, I missed the final boarding call’

    The cheapest Spanish holiday destinations revealed – from £13 flights to £31 hotels

    The cheapest Spanish holiday destinations revealed – from £13 flights to £31 hotels

    I followed a dusty path in Ibiza and found the ‘White Isle’s’ most iconic hotel

    I followed a dusty path in Ibiza and found the ‘White Isle’s’ most iconic hotel

    The UK’s £12 train journey where you can see polar bears from your seat

    The UK’s £12 train journey where you can see polar bears from your seat

    ‘Europe’s Hawaii’ that’s often dubbed a ‘Canaries alternative’ is having a record-breaking year

    ‘Europe’s Hawaii’ that’s often dubbed a ‘Canaries alternative’ is having a record-breaking year

    I’ll never go on another slum tour after speaking to a local

    I’ll never go on another slum tour after speaking to a local

    This ‘incredible’ road will leave you both amazed and terrified

    This ‘incredible’ road will leave you both amazed and terrified

    The world’s funniest country revealed — and Brits are way off the mark

    The world’s funniest country revealed — and Brits are way off the mark

    Wizz Air launches 5 new Spanish routes from the UK – but not everyone is happy

    Wizz Air launches 5 new Spanish routes from the UK – but not everyone is happy

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Health
  • Opinion
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Crypto
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Sports
  • More
    • Press Release
UK Herald
No Result
View All Result

Breaking News: Pudu Robotics, A Leading Food Delivery Robot Company, Laid Off More Than 1,000 Employees After Raising 1 Billion Last Year

by Justin Marsh
July 6, 2022
0
0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterReddit

11 minYesterday morning, Zhang Tao, founder and CEO of Pudu Robotics —China’s leading food delivery robot company, sent an email to its employees, announcing that the company need to make layoffs in order to survive: “We have to make a difficult decision—downsizing our businesses and reducing headcount of our company.”

Founded in Shenzhen in 2016, Pudu Robotics is a top 2 food delivery robot company in China. In September 2021, it announced the completion of C1 and C2 rounds of financing that amount to nearly 1 billion RMB with investors like Meituan, Shenzhen Investment Holdings, Sequoia Capital China, etc.

However, not long after the large-scale funding, Pudu was caught up in rumors of mass layoffs. Information from Maimai (a China-based career and social-networking platform) indicates that the company’s headcount has been on a roller-coaster. Last year, Pudu experienced radical workforce expansion from 300 to 3,000 employees, then laid off around 1,000 people in February this year.  According to anonymous revelations on the Internet, the company will reduce its headcount to 500 in July.

Another post from “Pudu Robotics Colleague Circle” on Maimai showed that no department would be spared in the upcoming layoff, all the fresh graduates would be dismissed, but the company cannot afford the compensation. Except the normal food delivery robots, all the other product lines will be cut 22 min

off, and the company is going to keep only a few hundred employees.

(screenshot of the “Pudu Robotics Colleague Circle” post on Maimai)

 

The author of this article has consulted a number of professionals from the food delivery robot industry, who verified Pudu’s layoffs, but the scale remains unclear.

 

 

  1. The mass layoffs began at the beginning of the year—thousands of people might have been dismissed

 

“Winter has come for the capital markets… This year, we’ve been making ‘weight loss’ adjustments in our businesses and headcount, including the upcoming one.” said Zhang Tao in the email.

According to what published on Pudu’s official website, Zhang Tao graduated from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics, computer vision and computer graphics, he founded Pudu Robotics in 2016.

In an interview with Zhang Tao released by Pudu in January 2022, the CEO mentioned that the company has over 2,000 employees. Shortly after that, Pudu began to dismiss workers in more than 20 cities and it is said that around 1,000 employees had been laid off by mid-February.

It is revealed on Maimai that the Pudu’s mass layoffs could be largely ascribed to its ill-judged expansion in the past year, when the headcount underwent a 10-fold increase to 3,000+. After the upcoming layoffs, the number of remaining employees will be less than 1,000, or round 500.

33 min

In Pudu’s social media comments, someone asks whether the company has recruiting needs, and get a few replies from those seeming to be Pudu’s employees: “Stop asking about hiring, when layoffs are going to blow your mind” , “precarious work”… The turbulence also seems to exert negative impact on product services: “There is no after-sales service, the headquarter refuses to deal with it.”

4444444 min

  1. Without capital support, the company can no longer cover up its financial problem

 

If the scale of Pudu’s layoffs is as revealed, it will cause earthquake to the entire food delivery robot market. According to a latest report by IDC, Pudu Robotics is the second largest player in China’s food delivery service robot market in 2021 with a market share of 25.9%.

Capital support is a key enabler for Pudu’s market achievement. The company has obtained 8 rounds of financing since its establishment, with the latest being the C2 round in September 2021. Its investors include Sequoia Capital, Tencent, Meituan and other giants.

In the email, Zhang Tao admitted the company’s poor financial situation.

“Since the end of last year, the global capital market has seen a drastic downward trend… As it is going to be a long-term trend, all the companies in the industry will have to face a problem: how to work out a profitable business model to gain profits and realize sustainable development as soon as possible.”

In the past years, Pudu has managed to promote its products in a great number of cities in China. Its delivery robots can be found in China’s famous catering chains like Haidilao, Xiabuxiabu, XiBei. Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, the catering industry has been among the most affected, particularly in terms of indoor dining. In addition, food delivery robot is limited in terms of application, and its profit model is questionable. According to a recent report by IDC, the market size of China’s commercial service robot industry, despite a YoY growth of 110.4% in 2021, reaches only 84 million in USD.

In spite of the multiple challenges from inside and outside, Pudu is still trying to present a false picture of prosperity.

In March 2022, Pudu held a new product launch event in Shenzhen, introducing four new robot products, including a grabbing arm food delivery robot “A1”, a four-legged delivery robot “D1”, an indoor scrubbing machine “SH1”, covering almost all the latest buzzwords in the service robot circle.55 min

However, these eye-catching robotic products require a lot of R&D investment, and there is still a long way to go before their commercialization.

At one time, Pudu Robotics is considered to be an example of success in commercialization of service robots. Now, whether affected by the economic situation or the company’s own management problems, the future remains problematic for the company.

The email sent by Zhang Tao is as follows:66

Conclusion: Time to Test the Resilience of the Company

Behind the mass layoffs at Pudu Robotics is the accumulation of a series of management problems. Inside Pudu, the IPO plan is no longer mentioned — survival is the top priority at the moment. Pudu is experiencing its “darkest moment”, and the real challenge is yet to come.

Related Posts

Generative AI and the Future of Front-End Engineering: Ethical and Practical Implications

by Justin Marsh
August 23, 2025
0

Introduction Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how we design and build the web’s user interfaces. As a front-end engineer driving data-driven features at Atarim, I have witnessed firsthand how tools...

Tired of Complicated Switching? Why CheckMyBills Might Be the Solution

Tired of Complicated Switching? Why CheckMyBills Might Be the Solution

by Clara White
August 16, 2025
0

If switching energy suppliers feels like filling in a small novel, you’re not alone. Lengthy forms, required accounts, confusing tariff names and a fear of losing supply put many people off switching...

Global First! DEEP Robotics Robot Dogs Go Deep into Hoh Xil to Collaborate in Protecting Tibetan Antelopes

by Justin Marsh
August 15, 2025
0

Recently, at Zhuonai Lake deep in the uninhabited area of Hoh Xil, which is above 4,800 meters above sea level, a "robotic Tibetan antelope" made based on DEEP Robotics X30 quadruped robot...

Coinplex — The Power of Technology and Responsibility Together

by Justin Marsh
August 6, 2025
0

In recent years, Coinplex has earned the trust of tens of thousands of users worldwide, becoming one of the leading digital finance platforms. It has also played an increasingly impactful role in...

Salford Start-Up Taprave Passes 200-Client Mark as £99-a-Month Marketing Model Gains Traction

Salford Start-Up Taprave Passes 200-Client Mark as £99-a-Month Marketing Model Gains Traction

by Clara White
August 3, 2025
0

Taprave Ltd, the two-year-old marketing-technology company that blends creative talent with AI automation, has cleared 200 paying customers and is aiming for 500 by the first quarter of 2026. Chief executive Emmanuel...

Step Into Cyber Safety: Cyber Essentials Made Easy with Cyber Compliance

Step Into Cyber Safety: Cyber Essentials Made Easy with Cyber Compliance

by Clara White
August 2, 2025
0

Cyber Compliance—trading as NeedSec Limited—is a UK-based, IASME-accredited Cyber Essentials Certification Body, authorised to deliver the UK government-backed certification scheme overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Its mission is clear:...

Next Post

How Age Doesn’t Matter In Regards To Running An Online Business

Popular News

Bid to win a mini piece of top gear tv history

Bid to win a mini piece of top gear tv history

August 26, 2025
Gigantic £777,577,500 cruise ship with record-breaking water park to launch from UK

Gigantic £777,577,500 cruise ship with record-breaking water park to launch from UK

August 26, 2025
Wired says ‘AI-written’ story did not have ‘proper fact-check process’

Wired says ‘AI-written’ story did not have ‘proper fact-check process’

August 25, 2025
Rock and Rolls: £ 500k Phantom Takes a Plunge in Swimming Pool

Rock and Rolls: £ 500k Phantom Takes a Plunge in Swimming Pool

August 23, 2025
British Airways First Lounge at Heathrow Airport review: ‘So relaxing, I missed the final boarding call’

British Airways First Lounge at Heathrow Airport review: ‘So relaxing, I missed the final boarding call’

August 23, 2025
Fear during space mission but you have a trusted team behind you- Shubhanshu Shukla

Fear during space mission but you have a trusted team behind you- Shubhanshu Shukla

August 21, 2025
Toyota BZ4X Electric SUV Prices Cut to £ 36,995

Toyota BZ4X Electric SUV Prices Cut to £ 36,995

August 20, 2025
UK Herald

All Rights Reserved © UK HERALD - The Voice of UK

Important Links

  • Publish Your article
  • Editorial Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise

...

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • UK News
  • Business
  • Science
  • National
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Sports
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Food

All Rights Reserved © UK HERALD - The Voice of UK