As Parrot's drone sales revenue loses altitude, company announces layoffs

By Hillary K. Grigonis Published January 10, 2017

2016 may have been the best year yet for drone sales — but the 2.5 million drones sold last year wasn’t enough to keep Parrot from announcing a cut of a third of the company’s drone division labor force. The French company announced yesterday that it would be laying off about 190 employees in the drone division after holiday sales missed their mark by about 15 percent.

The Washington Post says 2016 was a record year for drone sales, with about half, or nearly 1.2 million, of those sales coming during the holidays. But the growing market has been accompanied by falling prices and increased competition, and Parrot fell short of its goals to the tune of over $15 million in the fourth quarter.

Recommended Videos

The company’s drone division accounted for about 63 million dollars, with 11.6 million attributable to commercial drones and the remainder to consumer models.

While those numbers are only for the last quarter of the year, the company says the pattern shows that current market performance “would be insufficient to deliver profitable growth for this business over the medium and long term.”

To ensure long-term profitability, Parrot is adjusting its strategy. The company’s plan includes a reduction in the overall number of products while capitalizing on the expertise the company has developed for commercially-oriented quadcopters. About 290 staff members will be laid off out of the company’s 840 employees who are focused on drones. The company says 150 of those reductions will be from Parrot’s France-based locations with the rest being carried out in other nations.

While drones continue to soar in popularity, Parrot is likely having trouble competing with the Chinese manufacturer DJI. Since DJI owns all the factories it uses for production, as Recode points out, the company is able to sell its drones at a lower price. That edge was also what caused 3D Robotics to focus solely on drone software and stop manufacturing drones after DJI dropped its prices.

While commercial drones made up a smaller portion of Parrot’s sales in the fourth quarter, the company plans to focus on that market, where growth in applications such as aerial inspections have accelerated.

Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

Topics

Entertainment

Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts

Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Cars

Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?

jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii 4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Entertainment

Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode

Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.