Earlier today, Tom Werner shared the following note with all SunPower employees.
Team,
I’m writing to share difficult news with you as we implement changes across our organization in the days and weeks to come. To position SunPower for the future, we need to achieve financial viability, which includes simplifying our business structure, transitioning away from areas where we have been unable to sustain profitable operations, and improving financial controls.
As such, we are moving to a low fixed-cost model that we believe we will be able to better flex when the market is up or down. Specifically, we are winding down our SunPower Residential Installation (SPRI) locations and closing SunPower Direct sales. We are also reducing our workforce to better align our business with our new focus. With this shift, we will reduce our workforce by approximately 1,000 people in the coming days and weeks.
While we worked hard to avoid this outcome, the market has been slower to recover than we initially expected. Additionally, we have dedicated resources to improving our financial controls, and will continue to do so. We believe this shift in our strategy is necessary to safeguard the company’s future.
What this means for you
We will inform those of you who are impacted via your personal emails starting at 6:15am PT via an email from AskHR. In some cases, we will host subsequent team meetings to provide more clarity on next steps and what’s ahead.
Some of our impacted team members will depart today, and others will remain on with us for a period of time to help facilitate the transition for our customers. For those talented and devoted colleagues who are departing, we are deeply grateful for your lasting contributions. We are offering a competitive separation package to assist our former colleagues in their transition.
For those staying at SunPower, we recognize this is hard news to receive and will take some time to process. Your ELT members will meet with you today, and we will host an all-employee meeting later this week to provide time for more discussion and questions.
Our path ahead
Through these transitions, we remain committed to delivering high-quality, affordable clean energy systems that meet the unique needs of families across the country. We are dedicated to doing this in a manner that aims to ensure a positive experience for our customers on their solar journey.
After a short transition period, all pipeline operations from pre-installation through system activation will be handled by Blue Raven Solar, full-service installation partners, and our trusted network of SunPower-certified dealers — all who meet our standards of integrity, design, quality, and customer service. As we make this transition over the next month, we are dedicated to handling our customer experience with the highest levels of care and with minimal impact on timelines.
Moving forward, SunPower will focus our efforts on serving our best-in-class Dealer Network and installation partners. We plan to continue to invest in our New Homes business, which continues to grow. We will still manage ongoing customer service needs, including operations and maintenance (O&M), and will continue to honor our Complete Confidence warranty.
We appreciate the ongoing support from our employees, partners and customers as we move SunPower into its next era. Even on our toughest days, I know together we can change the way our world is powered.
Regards,
Tom Werner
Principal Executive Officer