Anheuser-Busch has announced that they are laying off approximately 2 percent of their US workforce as boycotts against the company show no signs of slowing down.
The right has been boycotting the company since April when Bud Light partnered with TikTok influencer and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney — and the left began boycotting them shortly after for not sufficiently defending the social media star from the backlash.
The company employs about 18,000 people in the US — so a two percent downsizing will mean approximately 360 people losing their jobs.
Speaking to The Hill, a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch said that they are changing its corporate structure to “simplify and reduce layers,” and that the changes will be “across every corporate function at Anheuser-Busch.”
“While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success,” Anheuser-Busch Chief Executive Brendan Whitworth said in a written statement obtained by the Wall Street Journal. “These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best—brewing great beer for everyone.”
The Journal report says that the layoffs will impact “corporate and marketing roles at major U.S. offices, including St. Louis, New York and Los Angeles.”
Bud Light sales have fallen nearly 30 percent since last year.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said in April, at the beginning of the boycott. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Two months later, Whitworth said, “The discussion surrounding our company and Bud Light has moved away from beer, and this has impacted our consumers, our business partners, and our employees.”
“We are a beer company, and beer is for everyone,” Whitworth continued. “As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you.”
However, the company did not apologize for wading into the political arena by partnering with an activist.
The protest over the company’s “woke” business decision was so effective that Modelo Especial has now dethroned Bud Light to become the nation’s top-selling beer.
