ExpressVPN lays off undisclosed number of employees

ExpressVPN logo above mobile devices
(Image credit: ExpressVPN)

Kape Technologies, parent company of ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access and CyberGhost, has released a statement confirming that an undisclosed number of ExpressVPN employees have been laid off.

In an official statement sent to Tom's Guide on March 19, 2025, ExpressVPN states that:

"Over the past year, we’ve significantly enhanced our technology…Like many companies at the leading edge of technology adoption, this means we can run faster and, subsequently, deliver our service more efficiently.

"While this is significant progress for the company, it has resulted in the difficult decision to reduce the size of our workforce."

Tom’s Guide requested exact numbers, but ExpressVPN declined to comment.

A familiar sight

This is not the first time Kape Technologies has undertaken an unexpected round of sackings. In July 2023, around 12% of the workforce was let go, roughly 180 members of staff. This included members of the IT and engineering teams – employees responsible for developing and maintaining the VPN product itself.

When speaking about those affected in this latest round of redundancies, ExpressVPN states that it is "deeply grateful to the talented individuals impacted by this change for their contribution to the company. Moving forward, we remain committed to innovation, excellence, and delivering the most trusted VPN experience for our users."

ExpressVPN on a Mac and iPhone

(Image credit: Future)

ExpressVPN currently ranks third in our guide to the best VPN services. Prior to March 2024, it had occupied the top spot for over five years. It has since been outperformed by rivals NordVPN and Surfshark.

Another of Kape’s VPNs, CyberGhost, has shown reduced product growth compared to many competitors, with relatively few major upgrades in the last year. Recent updates have been limited to a small change to split tunneling in its Android VPN, and an audit undertaken by Deloitte Romania.

Private Internet Access appears to be in the same boat. The last post published on the "Product Updates" part of the blog is a mobile app update in November 2023. The most recent updates we are aware of is the launch of its Apple TV VPN in February 2024, and introducing Arm support in August 2024

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Mo Harber-Lamond
VPN Editor

Mo is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide. Day-to-day he oversees guides on the best VPN services, privacy, and cybersecurity content, and also undertakes independent testing of VPN services to ensure his recommendations are accurate and up to date. When he's not getting stuck into the depths of a VPN you've never heard of, you'll find him working on his Peugeot 205 GTi or watching Peep Show instead of finally putting up those shelves.

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