HomeCrypto NewsDune Cuts 25% of Staff to Focus on AI Agents, Institutional Data

Dune Cuts 25% of Staff to Focus on AI Agents, Institutional Data

Posted: 14 May 2026, 19:37 CET 2 min read

Dune Analytics cut 25% of staff as it narrows product focus to AI agents and institutional on‑chain data, cofounder Fredrik Haga wrote May 14.

Dune Analytics cut 25% of its workforce in a restructuring announced May 14 as cofounder Fredrik Haga refocused the platform on AI agents and institutional on‑chain finance.

Haga wrote that the company will preserve its end-to-end data stack while narrowing product and customer focus. He noted Dune has raised about $79 million to date, including a $69.4 million Series B in 2022, and described the company as well capitalized. He encouraged hiring contacts to reach out about departing staff.

The strategy centers on Dune MCP, an open-standard server launched in March 2026 that lets AI agents query the platform’s data warehouse in natural language. Dune built 12 tools for table discovery, query execution and visualization, and the system now supports data from more than 100 blockchains. The company also released a dbt Connector to help engineering teams build on‑chain data pipelines.

The company will concentrate resources on the data products it sells to crypto companies and expand white‑glove services for financial firms tokenizing stocks, bonds and commodities.

Ryan Li, cofounder of crypto data startup Surf, replied to Haga’s post arguing that crypto research requires infrastructure built for AI agents rather than dashboards. He wrote, “Operating in the AI era demands infrastructure built for agents, not humans clicking through dashboards. We need fast query engines, reliable SQL, structured outputs.” Surf raised $15 million in December 2025.

The announcement highlights growing competition in crypto data services as established analytics platforms adapt to AI workflows and new entrants design products for agent use. The company said it already supports many leading crypto firms and will shift some resources to serve institutional clients seeking compliant access to on‑chain datasets and analytics.

The layoffs affected one quarter of the company’s staff. Haga publicly commended departing employees and wrote that he was recommending them to other firms.