Author: Stripe

Founded in 2010 by Patrick and John Collison, Stripe spent its first decade on aggressive, developer-led expansion. The company hit a peak valuation of $95B in 2021, fueled by the COVID e-commerce boom. The 2022-2023 correction saw internal valuations cut to $50B as tech multiples compressed. Since then, leadership has ruthlessly re-oriented around "efficient growth." They laid off ~14% of staff in late 2022 and slowed headcount growth through 2024. Strategic focus shifted from "planting flags" to "increasing share of wallet." The launches of Stripe Tax, Revenue Recognition, and the 2025 acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge ($1.1B) confirm this: they want more revenue from existing customers, not just more customers. This expansion halt is the logical conclusion of that strategy.