A third source who was not laid off told ADWEEK that their agency also suffered layoffs hitting “at every level—associates, managing partners, directors,” and that the agency’s HR lead and chief strategy officer are no longer with the company.

The former employees believe the layoffs are tied to recent account losses—including Coca-Cola—and broader dissatisfaction with leadership.

A fourth source familiar with WPP Media did not believe the layoffs were mostly due to client losses. The person suggested that the media unit had grown too big and hadn’t changed because GroupM has long been the industry’s top media-buying agency. This person said the layoffs are meant to help WPP Media become more software- and AI-driven.

But that’s little comfort to the employees who were surprised by how suddenly they were let go.

“I think it’s crazy how, just because of title, they’re not kept in the loop,” said the second source.