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When Google’s YouTube video division confirmed 100 layoffs on Wednesday, Leo Olebe, the head of YouTube Gaming, was among those let go.
Olebe was a long-time gaming executive, with experience at Facebook (Meta) as the senior global director for game partnerships. He was laid off along with 100 other employees at the video platform, as part of a larger restructuring at Google that included over 1,000 other layoffs.
Prior to his role at YouTube Gaming, Olebe held positions as vice president of marketing at GreatSchools, senior director of product marketing at Zynga, vice president of marketing at Gazillion Entertainment, and worked for companies such as Kabam, BioWare, Vivendi, Webzen, Warner Bros., and Disney.
According to The New York Times, YouTube had 7,173 employees earlier this week. With Olebe’s layoff, it appears that there will be no one in charge of gaming at YouTube. His layoff has been confirmed by multiple sources, and we are awaiting official comment from YouTube/Google.
An interview where I spoke with Olebe and Google Play’s Moonlit Beshimov about the lack of diversity in the game industry has been embedded in this article.
Olebe has spoken at our GamesBeat Summit 2023 event, highlighting the need to recognize the problem and have difficult conversations regarding the lack of diversity in the gaming industry. With the global appeal of games, he believes that gaming should be the most globally diverse industry; however, this is not the case. As gaming has transitioned from subculture to mass culture, Olebe expressed concern that certain negative aspects, such as the lack of diversity, have persisted.
While layoffs are of immediate concern in the gaming industry, there are numerous other positions related to gaming at platform companies that are also being impacted, as evidenced by the elimination of Olebe’s role.
During his tenure, YouTube Gaming achieved significant milestones, re-signing leading gaming creators, breaking records with game trailers, launching new initiatives, and achieving unprecedented viewer counts for major gaming events and titles.
The content is a strong indication of how the industry is changing. It also shows how the industry is shifting, adapting, and growing to meet the demands of an ever-expanding audience.
