After a significant conservative boycott over partnering with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney led to slumping sales, Anheuser-Bush InBev laid off hundreds of its 18,000 employees.
The beer company’s CEO, Brendan Whitworth, made the announcement Wednesday for “future long-tern success,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
“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 said. “These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone.”
Whitworth said the layoffs did not include brewery and warehouse staff, but instead were corporate and marketing roles at offices in Los Angeles, New York, and St. Louis.
The layoffs included 350 people, or 2% of U.S. employees, the company told CNBC.
Bud Light was dethroned as the top beer in the country in May.