Snap confirms it will lay off 'just over 120' employees

• Snap confirms "just over 120" layoffs from the engineering department.
• It says the streamlined team will help keep a "high technical bar."

Evan Spiegel, co-founder and chief executive officer of Snap Inc., stands on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the company's initial public offering on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Snap confirmed on Thursday "just over 120" layoffs from the engineering department, saying the streamlined team will help keep a "high technical bar."

"Having high-performance, technically excellent, and appropriately aligned teams will be critical to building both a compelling product and a compelling culture for engineers," Jerry Hunter, head of Snap's engineering team, said in a letter to employees. "We are doing this after a thoughtful and respectful review of each team member and with appreciation for the many contributions they have made to Snap."

Snap last month rolled out the redesign of its pioneering photo messaging app, Snapchat, the first major feat for its engineers since the app's launch.

CNBC reported on Wednesday that the company would lay off about 100 engineers, just weeks after CEO Evan Spiegel said the company's recent headcount growth would continue.

Cheddar's Alex Heath first reported the letter, which you can read in full here:

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