Careem Conducts Massive Layoffs Majorly Affecting Pakistani Developers

Careem conducted a major round of layoffs affecting numerous employees including Pakistani developers this week following the complete shutdown of entire offices in Berlin and other international locations, marking another significant restructuring effort by the Dubai-based super-app company.

Multiple employees took to social media platform Reddit to share news of colleagues being laid off, with the layoffs affecting development teams and other functions across Careem’s global operations.

The layoffs come after Careem shut down its Berlin office and other international locations last week, with the company now reducing headcount across remaining offices including those employing Pakistani technology workers.

Careem Technologies which builds the company’s Everything App continues to maintain operations in Pakistan with approximately 400 employees across all functions including engineering, however the recent layoffs indicate the company is scaling back its workforce even in markets where it maintains a presence.

The restructuring follows Careem’s July 2025 exit from Pakistan’s ride-hailing market where the company suspended operations after nearly a decade, citing challenging macroeconomic conditions, intensifying competition and global capital allocation constraints.

While Careem maintained its technology and engineering operations in Pakistan after exiting ride-hailing services, the recent layoffs suggest continued pressure on the company to reduce costs and streamline operations across its global footprint.

Many assume the fresh layoffs come as a direct result of the turbulent situation of the Middle East. One redditor wrote:

Comment by u/Unusual_Yard_3432 from discussion in developersPak

Comment by u/Unusual_Yard_3432 from discussion in developersPak

Another user took to X and wrote:

After the merger [with Uber] Careem has systematically failed at everything they have tried and are now just ride hailing in UAE. They were a product of the mini internet boom and have lost all their mojo since their first layoffs.

One Chinese food delivery company in KSA has started disrupting the market and now it has entered in Kuwait too. Careem copy paste model can’t sustain for long. Yango and InDrive outclassed it in Pakistan.

Careem previously conducted major layoffs in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when the company laid off 536 employees representing 31% of its workforce following an 80% drop in business due to pandemic-induced lockdowns. Technology experts at the time said the layoffs damaged Careem’s employer brand, particularly among purpose-driven younger workers, and added that the company struggled to regain the excellence and customer satisfaction it once delivered in its core ride-hailing business.

Observers long viewed Careem as a success story that put Pakistan on the map for global venture capitalists after its $3.1 billion acquisition, as engineers wrote the company’s first line of code in Pakistan and built the country into a key talent hub for engineering and technology development.

Industry observers note that Careem’s continued restructuring raises questions about the sustainability of technology-focused services in Pakistan and other emerging markets, where companies struggle to balance growth investment with profitability requirements.

The layoffs come at a particularly difficult time for affected Pakistani workers given limited opportunities in the local technology sector following closures and scaling back by startups including Airlift, Swvl, VavaCars and Truck It In.

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