ClearTax, now operating under the brand name Clear, has confirmed that it undertook a strategic organisational restructuring that impacted approximately 16% of its workforce — including several fresh graduates from India’s premier engineering institutes, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The company shared an official statement with People Matters following growing online chatter and employee testimonies on LinkedIn.
In its response, a Clear spokesperson said:
“We recently undertook a broader strategic organisational restructuring, impacting around 16% of our workforce, including a small number of early-career employees. This was a tough decision, and we are deeply grateful to every individual affected for their contributions.”
The company added that it had extended “enhanced severance packages, continued health insurance, and active outplacement assistance through outreach to industry partners.”
While Clear’s statement frames the layoffs as a strategic move to “reshape teams to enhance agility and future-readiness,” LinkedIn posts from affected employees paint a picture of abrupt exits — some just 60 days after joining the company.
Freshers From IITs Among the Worst Hit
One of the earliest public posts came from Anoop Singh, a 2025 graduate from IIT Guwahati, who joined Clear as a Software Engineer in June 2025. In a widely viewed post, he shared:
“This week, my role at Clear (ClearTax) came to an unexpected and abrupt end—only two months after I had joined. I was part of a company-wide restructuring where approximately 25% of the workforce was laid off.”
He expressed disappointment at the lack of opportunity to prove himself, calling the decision “profoundly unfair,” but also clarified he wasn’t seeking sympathy — only support and connections.
Multiple sources independently confirmed that August 1 marked the day many freshers, particularly those in Software Development Engineer (SDE) roles, were let go.
LinkedIn Becomes Lifeline
Several of Singh’s peers from other IITs, also recently hired by Clear, took to LinkedIn using hashtags such as #LaidOff and #OpenToWork. Their stories reveal a pattern — most had been hired through campus placements and joined in June 2025, only to be let go within two months.
Harshit Swarnkar, another affected fresher, described the news as “disheartening,” but said:
“This setback doesn’t define me — it fuels my determination to grow and contribute wherever I go next.”
Rahul Kumar, who was placed on day one of his college placements, wrote:
“I began my role on 2nd June 2025, but due to internal restructuring, I was laid off on 1st August 2025.”
He added that he’s now actively exploring backend and full-stack opportunities.
A Common Pattern Emerges
The layoffs affected freshers across different IIT campuses. Dhruv Mangroliya, Raman Pal, and Soojal Singh — all from various IITs — described how they had joined Clear with high hopes and a sense of excitement, only to find themselves job-hunting within weeks.
Soojal, a graduate of IIT BHU, wrote:
“I’m sharing this update in hopes it reaches someone who can help. I was impacted by a company-wide layoff at ClearTax, just two months into my role.”
All shared their resumes, skill sets, and contact details on LinkedIn, calling out to hiring managers and recruiters for support.
Clear’s Journey from Tax Filing to Fintech Platform
Founded as ClearTax, the company rebranded as Clear in 2021 to reflect its broader suite of products, which now include compliance, finance automation, and business intelligence solutions. With a presence in India, the UAE, Singapore, France, Belgium, and other global markets, Clear has positioned itself as a growth-stage fintech company serving CFOs and finance teams.
Despite recent expansion, the layoffs raise questions about internal recalibrations. While Clear’s statement to People Matters stressed that the company remains “financially strong,” the scale and abrupt nature of the job cuts — especially of campus hires — have triggered discussions about hiring responsibility and transparency in the tech ecosystem.
A Broader Concern for Fresh Graduates
The incident also highlights a broader challenge in India’s tech hiring landscape: the risk faced by early-career professionals amid shifting business priorities. Many of the affected IIT graduates are now seeking new roles, but the experience has left them cautious.
Some voices in the academic and HR communities have raised concerns about how companies manage the expectations and welfare of new entrants — particularly those hired through rigorous campus placement processes.
As organisations restructure to meet future demands, the responsibility to communicate clearly and act with empathy remains central — especially when the careers and confidence of young professionals are on the line.