NovaLauncher's Parent Company BranchMetrics Lays Off Over 100, Future in Doubt

TapTechNews August 12th news, the parent company of the well-known Android custom desktop application NovaLauncher, BranchMetrics, laid off more than a hundred people last week, and only the founder and chief developer Kevin Barry remains in the entire NovaLauncher team. In the face of concerns from the outside world about the future development of NovaLauncher, Barry issued a statement to clarify the relevant situation.

According to TapTechNews, NovaLauncher is a third-party desktop launcher that is deeply loved by users. Its high customizability has always been highly praised and was acquired by the data analysis company BranchMetrics in 2022.

Once the layoff news came out, Rob Wainwright and Cliff Wade, who were once the core developers of NovaLauncher, expressed shock and regret on social media, raising concerns about the future prospects of NovaLauncher. However, former employees have all expressed that there is no need to panic, and the founder Barry will continue to promote the progress of the project.

Barry expressed thanks and blessings to his departing colleagues in the statement and clearly stated that he will continue to lead the development work of NovaLauncher. He emphasized that although the team once expanded to three people, he has always been the main developer and core leader of NovaLauncher. In the future, the development direction and progress of NovaLauncher will still be controlled by him.

This statement aims to ease users' concerns about the subsequent support of NovaLauncher. Currently, the update of NovaLauncher version 8.1 is still in the plan, but due to the impact of the layoff, the updated content will be reduced. The specific impact of the layoff on the future development process remains to be observed.