Rivian Is Cutting Jobs Right After Launching the R2. Is the Profitability Story Getting Stronger or Weaker?

Rivian laid off less than 2% of its workforce (approximately 300 employees) in sales and marketing roles just one week after launching its R2 SUV. The cuts reflect the company's effort to control costs while ramping production of its most important vehicle. Despite the R2 launch, Rivian's core vehicle business still loses approximately $6,000 per vehicle delivered before overhead, though the company targets positive automotive gross profit by end of 2026 as R2 volumes increase.