Native Instruments layoffs

[Guy Rowland]

https://synthanatomy.com/2026/07/native ... -moog.html

100 jobs gone apparently. Also worthy of note is that all of the other companies who became part of the expanded Native Instruments have now gone their own way - NI with InMusic, iZotope with BorisFX and Plugin Alliance and Brainworx are with Dirk Ulrich.

I guess we should be grateful NI have survived in some form at all. But overall it seems that everything that has been bitterly said about venture capitalists is true.

[Lawrence]

From Gemini:

“As of July 2026, reports indicate that Native Instruments, following its acquisition by inMusic, has laid off approximately 100 employees across nearly all departments. 
Regarding the total headcount prior to these layoffs, workforce intelligence data from Revelio Labs estimated that Native Instruments had approximately 482 employees worldwide as of December 2025. 
It is worth noting that Native Instruments has undergone previous major restructurings, most notably in 2019, when the company announced a 20% reduction in its global workforce (approximately 100–150 employees) to shift toward a new "unified platform" strategy.”

I guess that 20% number is fairly consistent, though I fear it will increase.

[Mike Greene]

That article seems a little thin on documentation. One person, I think, from a Reddit post which I'm pretty sure was a month ago.

I don't doubt there are layoffs in areas where there is overlap, mind you, and I can see why it makes financial sense for inMusic to sell off iZotope and Plugin Alliance. I don't take that as a bad sign, though. The way the insolvency worked, the highest bidder had to buy everything. So inMusic did that, and then sold off the parts they weren't as interested in.

Based on meetings I've had with the Kontakt people, including one this morning, I can say for sure that they're moving full steam ahead and have big plans. I actually feel better about Kontakt now than I did a year ago. (Which, given my association with Koda, is not necessarily a good thing. )

[Lawrence]

Based on your talks, do you think the 100 layoffs are an incorrect number?

[Mike Greene]

I have no idea (that sort of thing doesn't come up), but I assume there have to be some synergies when you combine two companies that large.

[Guy Rowland]

Some fair points, Mike. It's clear that Kontakt is a priority internally, which is reassuring for most of us. Development is very much ongoing, and they are definitely listening and improving things bit by bit.

And let's face it, no-one was thrilled when all these other companies joined with NI. The merger always was very far from seamless. So going their own away again, c'est la vie.

Then there is customer support, about which people have complained for decades. We don't know what they have in place if their existing support has been disbanded, but can't preclude the possibility that a new system will be better.

All that said, it's still hard to believe huge job cuts will overall be good news for the consumer. I do think the status quo has shifted - the Summer Of Sound sale was rebadged and had a mere 30% discount. It'll be interesting to see how this affects things - for so many people Komplete was so tempting at half price they bought it despite not really wanting much of it. Remove that temptation, I would expect sales to slow significantly.

[Lawrence]

My wife was a director at Verizon when they conducted a RIF (reduction in force) of 60,000 employees. Eventually they came for her as well but even before, it was pretty agonizing and everyone lived in fear. I don’t know what shape the MI industry is in (the music software industry?) but I hope those folks can find new jobs.

I’m glad to hear that Kontakt’s outlook is robust. I’m presently stuck at an earlier version of Kontakt 8 because I’m on Monterey and the new version requires an OSX upgrade. I think I’m at Komplete 15. I wouldn't be buying upgrades at 30% off unless there was something REALLY compelling included.

I guess we’ll see how it shakes out…at present there’s nothing in the NI family that’s a necessary purchase for me.

[Mike Greene]

I took the 30% off sale as an encouraging sign that inMusic is planning on playing the long game, rather than 8dio'ing all the products until the wheels fall off. To me, that allayed a lot of fears about what inMusic's intentions are.

Plus it would be nice (speaking as a developer) if we get back to the days when 50% off sales weren't considered "standard." I feel like I'm swimming upstream where we only do 50% for the old stuff.

I'll bet NI Summer Sale numbers were really disappointing, though, and they go back to 50% next year. (I passed, too, even though like everyone else, I usually upgrade my Komplete every few years, and I was due this year.)

Larry, do you know what's the newest possible version of Kontakt 8 that works on Monterrey (and presumably, Mac Intel)? NI will no longer encode for K6, so I need to make the jump, but I want to find the sweet spot of K8 that has the most new features, but will work for the Intel people. We have K8.1.0 running on my 2013 Mac Pro trash can, but I'm guessing I can go higher?

[wst3]

100 jobs gone apparently. Also worthy of note is that all of the other companies who became part of the expanded Native Instruments have now gone their own way - NI with InMusic, iZotope with BorisFX and Plugin Alliance and Brainworx are with Dirk Ulrich.

I guess we should be grateful NI have survived in some form at all. But overall it seems that everything that has been bitterly said about venture capitalists is true.

Venture capitalists are, in my "humble" opinion, the lowest form of life on earth. They are worse than scavengers. They are without morals, or souls for that matter. There may have been a time in modern history where they really did "provide the market with capital" - their favorite rationalization, but if they did, those days are long gone. Now they simply seek out and destroy any company from which they think they can make a buck.

Phew, that felt good

I was surprised about the BorisFX/Izotope deal, but after the fact it really does make perfect sense. I suspect that music production will take a back seat to post production, but there are quite a few tasks in common, so I don't see us losing their music related products anytime soon. That said, I've not updated my iZotope software in ages, and it is no longer installed. They are great tools, they do everything they claim, but I just can't get behind them anymore. Different horses for different courses I suppose?

The only thing surprising about Dirk reacquiring Brainworx & Plugin-Alliance is that it took so long. Mr. Ulrich is an interesting character, but he does seem to know audio and the audio marketplace, so I tip my hat, or raise my glass to him.

I am concerned that many of the remaining NI plugins may go away, but that will be manageable (I believe) as long as Kontakt survives.

[Lawrence]

I took the 30% off sale as an encouraging sign that inMusic is planning on playing the long game, rather than 8dio'ing all the products until the wheels fall off. To me, that allayed a lot of fears about what inMusic's intentions are.

Plus it would be nice (speaking as a developer) if we get back to the days when 50% off sales weren't considered "standard." I feel like I'm swimming upstream where we only do 50% for the old stuff.

I'll bet NI Summer Sale numbers were really disappointing, though, and they go back to 50% next year. (I passed, too, even though like everyone else, I usually upgrade my Komplete every few years, and I was due this year.)

Larry, do you know what's the newest possible version of Kontakt 8 that works on Monterrey (and presumably, Mac Intel)? NI will no longer encode for K6, so I need to make the jump, but I want to find the sweet spot of K8 that has the most new features, but will work for the Intel people. We have K8.1.0 running on my 2013 Mac Pro trash can, but I'm guessing I can go higher?

Hey Mike-

I’m traveling but home tomorrow, and I can at least let you know then what my version of Kontakt is and where I got stopped out. I’ll post that unless someone else checks in
with the 411.