Internet company LeEco to layoff 25 Bellevue employees this September

Chinese internet company LeEco will shutter its Bellevue offices on Sept. 18, according to the Washington’s Employment Security Department.

An announcement on Monday indicated 25 employees, who are not represented by a union, will be laid off. Chad Pearson with the Employment Security Department said the department’s local WorkSource will reach out to those workers to ensure they have information on how to apply for unemployment benefits and assist them in finding new jobs.

LeEco representatives could not be immediately reached for comment.

Founded in 2004 by “self-made multi-billionaire” YT Jia, the company was initially known as Letv and was the first in China to go public as a streaming video platform. According to LeEco, Letv became a global internet company and now merges smartphones, smart TVs, electric cars, content and services with their “Ecosystem.”

In China, LeEco has 730 million monthly unique visitors and 50 million subscribers worldwide. Their film studio Le Vision Entertainment was a producer of “The Great Wall,” which starred Matt Damon. As of September 2016, LeEco has sold over 17 million smartphones and 7 million TVs worldwide.

LeEco’s Bellevue offices are located in the downtown Bellevue Plaza Center at 10900 NE Eighth St., Ste. 1414.