On top of 348 known job cuts across the organization last year, Roche’s Genentech division laid off an additional 141 staffers last August that are just now being disclosed.
The layoffs took effect on Aug. 18 and were filed with California’s Employment Development Department on June 26, but didn’t appear on the department’s listing of layoff notices until Feb. 4, 2026, potentially due to a glitch in the system, a Genentech spokesperson told Fierce Biotech.
Though the layoffs are listed in the notice as occurring at Genentech’s South San Francisco headquarters at 1 DNA Way, the cuts actually occurred across departments and sites, as did last year’s similar layoff rounds, the spokesperson said.
When small layoffs in different parts of the organization collectively add up to more than 50 people, it triggers a WARN notice, she added.
“All layoffs are associated with our headquarters in South San Francisco, regardless of what state an employee lives in,” the spokesperson explained.
Some of the changes that added up to last year’s layoffs include global manufacturing changes at Genentech’s parent company Roche, the incorporation of Genentech’s inclusion and belonging team into a broader Roche unit, and cuts across IT, research and around a dozen other teams, the spokesperson said.
“To stay ahead in a fast-moving industry, we must constantly evolve how we work,” the spokesperson said. “This occasionally means making tough decisions to reallocate resources so we can do the most good for patients.”
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This means saying goodbye to 143 workers in July, 87 staffers in September and another 118 employees in November.
While the layoffs “affect some teams, they also create new opportunities,” the spokesperson said. “We are actively hiring for roles that will embed digital, automation and AI capabilities across our organization.”
Genentech has hired more than 400 new employees and doubled its previously announced investment in a new North Carolina manufacturing facility this year, the spokesperson added.
