Nearly everyone working on Nova Launcher has been laid off

Nearly the full squad moving connected Nova Launcher, 1 of the biggest names successful Android homescreen replacements, has been laid off. The squad is present down to conscionable 1 afloat clip developer: Kevin Barry, the launcher’s founder.

Barry said improvement will continue and that helium volition stay successful complaint of the project. But squad members who were laid disconnected said enactment connected Nova will person to dilatory down, and Barry has already posted that helium needs to “cut scope” connected the adjacent large mentation of Nova compared to what was initially planned.

“Development volition undoubtedly dilatory with little radical moving connected the app, but the existent program is for updates to proceed successful immoderate form,” Rob Wainwright, 1 of the laid disconnected developers, wrote successful the project’s Discord.

Nova has been a standby successful the Android Launcher assemblage for years, offering a highly customizable twist connected the platform’s modular location surface options. The app was acquired by Branch, a mobile analytics company, successful July 2022. Branch is present laying disconnected much than 100 radical crossed the full company, including the bulk of Nova’s team, according to Cliff Wade, Nova Launcher’s lawsuit relations lead. There were antecedently “around a twelve people” moving connected Nova, Wainwright said.

The launcher volition proceed to enactment for anyone who’s already utilizing it. And portion the launcher has been developed by a squad for galore years now, it was a one-developer-job astatine the start. “The archetypal Nova team, for galore years, was conscionable me,” Barry wrote successful a station today, reflecting connected the layoffs.