U.S. News

Bud Light Brewer Announces Layoffs After Trans Promo Row

FINAL ROUND

Hundreds of American workers are being let go after sales plunged in the boycott.

Gene Bocis, general manager for the Anheuser-Busch brewery watches cases of Bud Light beer move down a conveyor belt in Fort Collins, Colorado March 2, 2017.
Rick Wilking/Reuters

The brewing company that makes Bud Light has cut hundreds of U.S. jobs in the wake of a massive boycott of the beer, according to The Wall Street Journal. Anheuser-Busch said Wednesday that the layoffs would affect less than 2 percent of its estimated 18,000-strong American payroll, and that frontline workers like brewery and warehouse staff wouldn’t be included in the cuts. “While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success,” Anheuser-Busch Chief Executive Brendan Whitworth said in a statement. “These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best—brewing great beer for everyone.” Bud Light sales started plunging in April after a promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney triggered a furious rightwing backlash.

Read it at The Wall Street Journal