Rivian cuts ~150 salaried manufacturing employees ahead of R2 launch in Normal, Illinois

Rivian Automotive laid off roughly 150 salaried manufacturing employees as part of an effort to "improve operational efficiency" ahead of the planned R2 midsize SUV launch. The company described the cuts as approximately 1% of its total workforce (14,861 employees as of Dec. 31) and said hourly workers were not affected; it did not provide exact headcount, positions, or precise locations within its global workforce. The layoffs affect salaried manufacturing staff at Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing campus, where the company is expanding capacity for R2 production. Rivian noted laid-off employees are eligible for rehire and encouraged to apply for other open roles; the company has completed several prior rounds of salaried reductions in 2024.

Rivian disclosed this layoff in an official WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice recorded by the IL state workforce agency on February 1, 2023. The notice covers 150 employees in Myford Irvine, IL (Orange County), with the layoff effective April 14, 2023.

That is roughly 1% of the 15,000 people Rivian employs.

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.