Around 350 employees at Ticketmaster lost their jobs this week as the company carried out a major restructuring across its engineering, product, and design divisions in 25 countries. The layoffs account for nearly 8% of Ticketmaster’s global workforce. Contractors were also affected by the cuts.
“The purpose of [these cuts] is stronger prioritization, especially in engineering product and design,” Ticketmaster Global President Saumil Mehta told Pollstar. “That comes with flattening layers, consolidating ownership, changing how teams are structured and ensuring that we put more energy behind specific initiatives.”
When asked about the timing of the layoffs, Mehta said the decision was focused on the company’s future growth strategy rather than its recent performance.
“To me the strong performance reflects the past and this is about what are we doing to set ourselves up for the earnings report 12 months from now, 18 months from now, 24 months from now,” he told Pollstar.
Despite the restructuring, Ticketmaster’s executive leadership team remains unchanged.
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The layoffs came just a day after parent company Live Nation Entertainment reported strong first-quarter earnings. Live Nation posted total revenue of $3.8 billion, marking a 12% increase compared to the same period last year. Ticketmaster alone generated $765 million in revenue, up 10% year over year. The company also processed 138 million fee-bearing tickets through late April, reflecting a 9% increase.
Before joining Ticketmaster, Mehta held senior leadership positions at Block, Inc., formerly known as Square, where he oversaw product and business operations tied to platforms including Cash App, Afterpay, and TIDAL.
During a keynote session on April 15, Mehta described artificial intelligence as a “new utility” that could reshape how fans discover and buy tickets. Presentation slides showcased a redesigned ticket-buying process aimed at improving transparency around pricing, inventory availability, and seat views. The company is also working on upgrades to its mobile experience and event search features.
The workforce reduction also comes as Live Nation faces growing legal challenges. In April, a federal jury ruled that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally monopolized the U.S. ticketing and amphitheater markets. The verdict marked a major win for a coalition of 33 states and Washington, D.C., which continued pursuing the case after the Justice Department reached a mid-trial settlement.
The states are now seeking damages of up to $700 million, and some officials have pushed for Live Nation to divest Ticketmaster. The company has said it plans to appeal the ruling.
In a separate case, Live Nation agreed to pay $9.9 million to settle an investigation by Washington, D.C. authorities into deceptive ticket pricing practices. Investigators found the company had allegedly promoted artificially low ticket prices while adding mandatory fees only during checkout for more than a decade.
The company also recorded a $450 million charge in the first quarter related to the federal settlement and ongoing legal disputes with state attorneys general. That expense contributed to an operating loss of $371 million for the quarter.