Thread regarding Waters Corp. layoffs

Since Udit Batra took over as President and CEO of Waters Corporation in September 2020, his total compensation has risen approximately 146% - from $5.7 million in his first partial year to $14 million in 2025 - while the company’s financial performance has largely stagnated. Revenue grew modestly from $2.37 billion in 2020 to $2.96 billion in 2024, a rise of around 25%, and net income actually declined from its 2022 peak of $708 million to $638 million in 2024. The most glaring disconnect came in 2023–2024, when earnings were flat to negative yet Batra received a 27.6% pay increase. Over the same period, the company’s workforce has shrunk. After growing to a peak of 8,200 employees in 2022, Waters cut roughly 328 jobs in a formal 2023 layoff round - approximately 4% of global headcount - and has continued to shed staff, ending 2024 at 7,600 employees, a net reduction of around 700 from the peak and below where the company stood when Batra arrived. Batra himself has cited the headcount reductions as a management success, pointing to flatter org structures and tighter spans of control, while employee reviews describe a culture of ongoing layoffs, increased workloads, suppressed pay, and leadership disconnected from the workforce. In sum, Waters under Batra presents a picture of a CEO whose compensation has substantially outpaced both the company’s financial results and the fortunes of its employees.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​