Rivian cuts ~1.5% of global workforce; nine jobs cut at Normal plant

Rivian said it is cutting about 1.5% of its global workforce as it prepares its Normal, Illinois plant for production of the lower-cost R2 vehicle. With roughly 15,000 employees globally at year-end, the 1.5% reduction equates to about 225 positions, though Rivian did not provide a firm headcount. A source told WGLT that nine jobs are being cut at the Normal plant specifically, and the company said it made recent changes to its commercial team to improve operational efficiency for R2. Rivian encouraged affected employees to apply for other open roles and plans to begin R2 production in Normal in 2026.

LayoffTalk has tracked 20 layoff events at Rivian since October 2022, including 784 jobs documented in official WARN filings, with 14 additional events known from news reporting.