2026-01-16 19:22:23

TAILWIND, the open-source AI project, has recently experienced a rollercoaster of fluctuations, dropping from a high of 2.5M to 1.5M, catching many followers off guard. Even more heartbreaking is that the project team has had to make significant adjustments recently—CEO Adam Wathan mentioned in a public letter that they were forced to cut 75% of their staff. Currently, the team is seeking funding from various sources to save themselves and try to get through this difficult period. This also reflects the real situation many innovative projects face in the current market environment: no matter how good the technology is, without sufficient funding, it’s hard to go far.

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MidnightTrader

· 11h ago

Lay off 75% of employees? That's the real survival crisis. No matter how advanced the technology is, without money it's useless.

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LightningSentry

· 11h ago

Cutting 75% of employees is quite harsh; it feels like the entire open-source project community is going through a winter. --- The recent drop in Tailwind's value was brutal; only after burning through the money did we realize what reality really is. --- Another technically brilliant project that failed to raise funds; difficulty in fundraising is truly a killer. --- Speaking of Adam, how hard it must have been to write this open letter, 75%... --- Even the best projects are useless without funding; I’ve truly seen it this time. --- It seems that open-source AI projects are all experiencing this kind of reshuffling; few survive. --- From 2.5M down to 1.5M, investors are really ruthless. --- If fundraising keeps failing, layoffs are inevitable; Tailwind's situation is just more tragic. --- The key is that if you can't secure funding, even strong technical skills are useless.

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MerkleMaid

· 11h ago

Cut 75%? Isn't that just saying there's no money left? No matter how advanced the technology is, someone has to fund it.

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SerLiquidated

· 11h ago

Cut 75%? That's just ridiculous. No matter how advanced the technology is, it can't make up for lack of money.

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gm_or_ngmi

· 12h ago

Lay off 75% of employees? That’s incredibly desperate. Even with top-notch skills, you can't withstand the reality of no money.

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SwapWhisperer

· 12h ago

Lay off 75% of employees... This round is pretty tough, feels like another project with strong technology but no funding to keep up. Fundraising is difficult. In this environment, even the most hardcore innovations are useless without support. Adam's letter probably hit quite hard; hope they can make it through. From 2.5M down to 1.5M, quite a few friends probably cut their losses. This is the reality. No matter how innovative the technology, you can't survive without money. Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising. It seems that now, just to keep a project alive, continuous fundraising is necessary. Laying off 75% of staff and still continuing open source? Truly hardcore.

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