Software Company Andela is reportedly closing all its offices on the continent and selling its equipment to select staff. This news comes a month after the company fired 135 employees due to the pandemic. The company took a hit from COVID-19, lowering its customer base and therefore slowing growth.
Andela will only maintain one office in the world, which will act as a sales office. This move will allow the company to operate remotely, as it announced a few weeks ago.
According to an ex-employee who talked to Afritech, the company is not exiting any country. However, going remote will allow Andela to operate a “United Office”, transcending limits to talent tied to location. Going remote will also give the software company a more regional/global centric appeal, as opposed to focusing on specific countries.
“The idea is not to limit talent by location but on a motto of Talent is evenly distributed. So now they are focused on Africa as a whole compared to a few countries. They have modified their business model from what it was as learning then doing workplace to now a market place for engineering talent,” Afritech quoted the source.
Andela as a remote company
Last month, Andela CEO Jeremy Johnson confirmed the intention to move fully remote. In a blog, Jeremy explained that the move was part of reorganizing the company. In the long term, the company looks to create a global network of engineers that supports long-term and trust-based relationships between teams.
In 2020, the same office approach that helped us create opportunities for brilliant minds when we first started now restricts opportunities for talented engineers who can’t (or choose not to) relocate. As such, requiring offices is now part of the problem we are working to solve.
Jeremy Johnson
SEE ALSO: Andela Lays off 10% of its Workforce
Update: Andela CEO Jeremy Johnson confirmed to WeeTracker on the transition to a remote company. Jeremy said that the company moved out of all its office locations. Henceforth, all its staff are working from home.
” As we have now moved to a fully remote model, we have moved out of our physical leased offices in all locations and Engineers and enterprise staff are working from home,” Jeremy confirmed.
The CEO also said that Andela has sold its equipment. According to his statement, the company sold off its assets to employees and third parties interested in items no longer in user.
This article was updated on June 25 2020 at 10:46 am to indicate Jeremy Johnson’s confirmation.
