The New York Times recently wrote an article on some changes Snapchat has announced. Many external factors have led Snapchat to make big changes to the company. The maker of Snapchat is laying off 1,300 employees (20% of the total number of employees), getting rid of 6 products, and appointing Jerry Hunter as the new chief operating officer (in place of the creator, Evan Spiegel).

A couple of different factors have affected Snapchat’s revenue. Apple’s change in privacy policy has affected Snapchat advertising. The rise in inflation and economic uncertainty have also played a role in Snapchats low revenue. The lack of advertising and economic obstacles has decreased sales for Snapchat drastically.

Snapchat hopes that laying off 20% of employees will prevent anything like this from ever happening again. They estimate to save 500 million with all these changes. They have already seen an increase of 8% from a year ago, which is not good but better than 0.

Byanka Olivarez is a 19-year-old sophomore at Morningside University. She is majoring in Marketing and Spanish. Her hobbies include dancing at parties, playing soccer (not at Morningside), and going to the gym.

Olivarez has lived in Sioux City her whole life. Her mom is from Leon, Guanajuato, and her dad is from Zapotlanejo, Jalisco. This is why Olivarez is fluent in Spanish and is so passionate about her degree. Olivarez has an older sister (junior at Morningside University), a younger sister (8th grader), and a younger brother (6th grader).

Olivarez currently works at a bank. She hopes to move up in the company and become either the bank president (who manages the whole branch, figures out finances of the bank, and makes sure employee needs are met) or a wealth manager (who helps people manage their money). Olivarez expressed “I am passionate about helping people.”

Olivarez shared how being a middle child has led her to be so passionate about helping others. Often the middle child is known for being neglected, compared to the older and younger siblings. This has made Olivarez want others to feel cared for and helped.