Viber grows 30% amid a wave of layoffs and proves that efficiency doesn’t have to cost jobs
Viber did something few expected in 2025: it grew. And it grew for real, adding 30% more employees and bringing its global team close to 600 people.
While the tech industry was living through a massive wave of layoffs, many of them justified with the argument of efficiency, the company bet on a different path.
No cuts.
No silent replacement by AI.
Active hiring and a genuine focus on the people who were already part of the team.
The story we are about to tell goes through bold recruitment decisions, an office operating amid air raid sirens in Israel, and a retention approach that runs counter to what most big tech companies have been doing.
Leading this conversation is Michal Perry, SVP of HR at Rakuten Viber, and what she has to say matters a lot for anyone following the future of work in the tech sector. 👇
Growth nobody saw coming
During the same period when giants like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon were announcing cuts of thousands of positions, Viber was heading in the opposite direction. The company, known worldwide as a cross-platform messaging and calling app, expanded its team in a consistent and planned manner, without rushing and without chaos. That 30% growth did not happen by accident. It reflects a management philosophy that puts people at the center of strategic decisions, something that, let’s be honest, has become pretty rare in the tech ecosystem over the past two years.
What really stands out is that this move happened in an extremely delicate context. The global tech market was under enormous pressure to cut costs, and the dominant narrative was that AI could replace a large share of human roles with gains in efficiency. Many companies bought into that idea without questioning it much. Viber, on the other hand, read the situation differently: technology and people do not have to be adversaries. They can, and should, work together.
Michal Perry, who leads global HR at Rakuten Viber, was straightforward about this stance. In her view, laying people off to look efficient is a dangerous trap. When you lose talent that took years to develop within the company culture, the real cost shows up later, when you need to rehire, retrain, and reintegrate. And by then the damage is much greater than whatever short-term savings you thought you were getting. That vision shaped every recruitment and retention decision the company made over the last cycle.
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The market shifted in favor of employers, but Viber didn’t ride that wave
By March 2026, with the tech job market officially classified as an employer-friendly market, many companies took the opportunity to tighten salary negotiations and reduce benefits. Viber chose not to follow that trend. According to Michal Perry, the company philosophy is still built on long-term partnership, not short-term opportunism.
Perry was emphatic that high-level professionals and senior candidates still hold significant negotiating power, regardless of the macro environment. At Viber, compensation is based on the value a professional brings to the table, not on how desperate the market is. Offering below-market salaries to win a negotiation might feel like a momentary victory, but in the medium term it leads to poor retention and a loss of trust. And trust, as any experienced HR professional knows, is the hardest asset to rebuild.
This stance is especially relevant at a time when many companies are trying to squeeze every penny out of negotiations. Viber understands that attracting and keeping the best talent requires real competitiveness, not just in talking points but in the actual conditions offered. And that ends up working as a powerful competitive advantage over the long run.
AI as an ally, not a replacement
One of the most common questions in the tech industry today is: will AI steal jobs? At Viber, the practical answer to that question can be seen in daily operations. The company integrated artificial intelligence tools into several internal processes, but with a very clear goal: free professionals from repetitive tasks so they can focus on what truly matters, which is creating, innovating, and solving complex problems.
This approach completely reframes the conversation. Instead of asking how many people AI can replace, Viber asks how AI can help every person on the team work better. It might seem like a subtle difference, but the end result is massive. Teams that use AI as support tend to be more productive, more engaged, and more creative than teams that were simply downsized with a promise of automation. Real efficiency does not come from headcount cuts. It comes from the smart use of available tools.
An important data point Perry shared: 100% of the Viber team is going through AI literacy training, with in-depth upskilling to transition from routine tasks to high-level strategy roles. This massive investment in reskilling shows the company takes seriously the idea that nobody should be left behind in the ongoing technological revolution. Instead of eliminating roles, the focus is on augmentation, meaning making every professional more capable and better prepared for the future.
Michal Perry emphasizes that the role of HR in this scenario has changed significantly. Today, part of her job involves helping employees understand how AI can be a partner at work, not a threat. That requires constant communication, training, and an organizational culture that is honest about the changes taking place. You can’t pretend nothing is changing. But you also can’t leave people feeling scared. The balance between those two things is exactly what defines mature HR leadership that is ready for the present.
Operating in the middle of chaos: the Israel office and the team’s resilience
Viber was founded in Israel in 2010 by Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik. Although it was acquired in 2014 by the Japanese group Rakuten for 900 million dollars and relocated its headquarters to Cyprus, the company still maintains a very strong local presence in Israel. The Israeli office remains the company’s largest hub, with more than 200 employees and a significant portion of its Research and Development operations.
Keeping that operation running in a region facing constant security threats is a challenge that goes well beyond what most tech companies ever have to deal with. Air raid sirens interrupt meetings. Reservists are called up for extended periods of military service. Commuting logistics become dangerous at certain times. All of this demands operational adaptations that very few management playbooks cover.
Viber’s response to this scenario was clear and human-centered. When the Home Front Command authorized a return to offices, the company made physical presence completely voluntary. The team was already highly proficient at remote work, which allowed them to maintain operational continuity and run recruitment processes with maximum sensitivity. Interviews were paused during alerts. Employees on reserve duty received full support, with absolutely no pressure to return before they were able to.
Perry highlights an important point: the company made the conscious decision to not place any employee on unpaid leave during the most critical periods of the conflict, guaranteeing financial security for everyone. That decision, seemingly simple, built a deep level of trust between the company and its employees. And the result is visible: Viber is not facing a wave of relocation requests or quiet quitting. People are choosing to stay.
Active recruitment in a time of uncertainty
Growing 30% in a single year is no small feat for any company, but it is even more challenging when part of the team operates in a city under constant alert. The recruitment process Viber ran during this period was careful and strategic. The company did not go out hiring any available profile on the market just to fill seats. It sought people who identified with the organization’s mission and values, which requires a selection process that is more robust, more human, and more thoughtful.
This means every new hire went through a cultural fit assessment on top of technical skills. In the long run, that care translates into more cohesive teams with lower turnover. On top of that, Viber maintained a transparent stance throughout the expansion process. Candidates knew exactly what kind of company they were joining: an organization that believes in sustainable growth, that uses AI as a support tool, and that has leadership committed to employee well-being.
That honesty already works as a natural filter. People who join Viber know what to expect, and that significantly reduces post-hire frustration, which is one of the biggest enemies of retention in the tech sector.
Mental health and the end of superficial perks
One of the most significant shifts in the corporate tech world in recent years has been the replacement of flashy perks with real support. Ping-pong tables, free beer on Fridays, and themed parties gave way to a much more urgent need: taking care of employee mental health in a concrete and structured way.
Viber understood this quickly. During the initial conflict in June 2025 and again after the ceasefire in April 2026, the company proactively shut down the Tel Aviv office for collective recovery days. These were not simple days off. They were paid days when the entire company paused at the same time, making sure nobody felt the pressure of catching up on work while their colleagues rested.
According to Perry, this gift of time to breathe without guilt turned out to be far more valuable than traditional bonuses. To complement that care, the company started offering food delivery vouchers for both active employees and those serving in the military reserves, helping lighten the domestic load during the most intense periods.
This approach reveals an organizational maturity that goes beyond words. Viber is looking at its employees as whole human beings, with needs that extend well beyond a paycheck. And when that stance is genuine, it becomes one of the most powerful retention tools out there.
Retention as a long-term strategy
Keeping talent is one of the most complex missions in modern HR, especially in tech, where offers are constant and the most qualified professionals rarely run out of options. Viber understands this very well, and its retention strategy is not based solely on competitive pay. It runs through a set of factors that create an environment where people genuinely want to stay, and that makes all the difference.
One of the pillars of that strategy is continuous development. The company invests in training, especially in topics related to AI and the new technologies reshaping the sector. When employees see that the company is investing in their growth, and not just extracting what they already know, the bond with the organization strengthens naturally. It is not loyalty that was bought. It is trust built over time, and that is far more solid than any one-time bonus.
Michal Perry also highlights the role of direct leadership in this process. Well-prepared managers are one of the most decisive factors in retention. People do not leave companies. They leave their leaders. That is why Viber invests in developing leaders who know how to give constructive feedback, who recognize achievements, and who can create a psychologically safe environment where people can express themselves, make mistakes, learn, and grow. It sounds simple, but it takes a lot of work and consistency to make it part of the company’s actual culture.
Global presence as a stability factor
Beyond the main hub in Israel, Viber maintains offices in London, Warsaw, Minsk, Tbilisi, Sofia, and Manila. This geographic distribution is not just a matter of market expansion. It works as a mechanism for operational resilience. When one office faces difficulties due to geopolitical or logistical issues, the other hubs absorb part of the demand, ensuring the global operation is not disrupted.
For a company that was born in Israel and keeps its largest operation in a territory under constant tension, this geographic diversification is strategic. It allows Viber to keep delivering its communication services to millions of users around the world without significant interruptions, even during the most critical moments.
This structure also benefits recruitment processes. Professionals from different parts of the world can apply for positions at Viber without necessarily needing to relocate to a specific country. This considerably broadens the available talent pool and allows the company to find the best people for each role, regardless of where they are.
What Viber is teaching the tech industry
What Viber is building throughout 2025 and 2026 is more than a bigger team. It is concrete proof that human growth and technological advancement can move forward together, as long as there is clear intention and leadership committed to people.
A few lessons that emerge from this journey are worth highlighting:
- Efficiency layoffs do not always generate real efficiency. More often than not, they just push the problem into the future in the form of lost institutional knowledge and higher rehiring costs.
- AI is a tool, not a death sentence. Training 100% of the team in artificial intelligence literacy shows it is possible to integrate technology without discarding people.
- Flexibility and empathy are not weaknesses. Allowing remote work, pausing interviews during alerts, and offering collective rest days are management decisions that build trust and organizational resilience.
- Transparency in recruitment reduces turnover. When candidates understand exactly what they are going to find, aligned expectations reduce frustration and strengthen culture.
The tech industry will keep changing at breakneck speed. AI will keep evolving and reshaping how work gets done. But companies that place efficiency above people without thinking about the long-term impact tend to pay a steep price sooner than they expect. Viber is showing, in practice, that there is another way. And that this way can be far more sustainable, both for the business and for the people who make that business happen every single day. 🚀
