Dune Cuts 25% of Staff and Bets on AI to Power Crypto Data’s Next Chapter

Dune Cuts 25% of Staff, Bets Future connected AI and Institutional Onchain Data

Haga announced the cuts this week, framing the determination arsenic a restructuring alternatively than a retreat. “We’re restructuring Dune to sharpen our absorption astir the halfway information products thousands of customers crossed the crypto manufacture trust on,” helium said. “That unluckily means we’ve fto 25% of the squad spell this week.”

Dune, founded successful 2018, built its estimation by making onchain information accessible to analysts, developers, and crypto companies done SQL-based dashboards. The institution says it has since constructed a full-stack information infrastructure covering ingestion, prime assurance, storage, cleaning, normalization, and querying.

Haga pointed to 2 areas driving the institution forward: AI integration and institutions entering onchain markets. “Going forward, Dune is all-in connected 2 shifts: AI and institutions coming onchain,” helium wrote.

The centerpiece of Dune’s AI strategy is Dune MCP, a merchandise that allows teams and AI agents to physique dashboards and workflows without SQL cognition oregon information infrastructure experience. Haga says the instrumentality puts Dune successful a presumption nary rival presently occupies.

“We’re the lone subordinate who has done the hard enactment of gathering the end-to-end stack for crypto data,” helium said. “With Dune MCP, teams and agents tin present physique dashboards and workflows without needing to cognize thing astir SQL nor information infrastructure.”

Dune’s organization propulsion targets fiscal firms arsenic accepted assets, including currencies, stocks, bonds, and commodities, that migrate to blockchain rails. Haga explained that the institution is investing successful its information furniture and dedicated lawsuit services to service that market.

Despite the cuts, Haga was nonstop astir the company’s fiscal position. “We stay good capitalized, excited astir the future, and committed to our ngo of making crypto information accessible,” helium said. He added that the departing employees are “exceptional people” helium would urge to immoderate hiring team.

Dune’s layoffs get alongside a broader question of workforce reductions crossed the crypto and fintech sectors, with AI often cited arsenic the driver. Block, the payments steadfast led by Jack Dorsey, chopped astir 40% of its staff, astir 4,000 employees, successful precocious February 2026, stating that AI tools allowed a smaller squad to nutrient much output.

Crypto.com followed successful mid-March 2026, reducing headcount by astir 12%, oregon astir 180 employees retired of astir 1,500, with CEO Kris Marszalek citing enterprise-wide AI integration arsenic the crushed for eliminating roles that did not adapt.

Critics successful each lawsuit person questioned whether AI is the superior operator oregon a convenient framing for broader cost-reduction efforts. At Dune, Haga tied the determination straight to merchandise strategy, not fiscal distress.

The replies to Haga’s societal media station mostly tilt supportive, with the crypto assemblage expressing sympathy for those who mislaid their roles, applauding Dune’s AI-driven shift, and adjacent stepping successful to assistance with occupation opportunities. At the aforesaid time, a smaller yet noticeable existent of vexation runs beneath the conversation, peculiarly from critics uneasy astir AI displacing quality workers.

The institution has operated done aggregate marketplace cycles implicit 8 years, during which respective competing information providers person unopen down oregon scaled back. Haga did not awesome immoderate timeline for rebuilding headcount but indicated the reduced squad would determination faster connected the company’s stated priorities.

“The Data Must Flow,” Haga wrote, closing his statement.