Today John Hanke shared the following e-mail with Niantic employees:

Niantics,

As I shared last week, Niantic is splitting into two companies, with the acquisition of our games business and team, and the spin off of our technology platform into Niantic Spatial Inc.

Thank you for your patience as we worked through the structure of the new company we are creating, which will be a more focused organization dedicated to delivering on the promise of geospatial AI.

As we embark on our new journey as Niantic Spatial, we will need to operate as a startup organization, focused on the road ahead. We carefully evaluated the structure we believe is needed for the new company, and after a lot of consideration, it became clear that some roles would not be required given our new focus. This week, we are sharing this news with the individuals whose roles are impacted.

These decisions are never easy; they in no way reflect the individuals’ performance, and we understand their impact on people’s lives. We deeply appreciate the talented individuals who helped us get here and for their many contributions, and will support them as they transition to new opportunities.

jh