Sea CEO Declares 5% Raises After Singapore Firm Turns a Profit

Sea Ltd. said it is giving most employees a 5% pay increase after turning profitable, a milestone for the Singapore e-commerce and gaming company that slashed costs drastically during the technology industry’s downturn.

(Bloomberg) — Sea Ltd. said it is giving most employees a 5% pay increase after turning profitable, a milestone for the Singapore e-commerce and gaming company that slashed costs drastically during the technology industry’s downturn.

Workers who joined on or before March 31 will get the salary bump effective this July, billionaire founder Forrest Li said in a memo to staff on Monday, seen by Bloomberg News. He said the company has reached “self-sufficiency” as its cash balance is now increasing rather than shrinking every quarter, a goal it achieved ahead of a target set last year.

The Asian internet giant reported its first-ever quarterly net profit in March, about 14 years after its founding. In recent months, the company cut thousands of jobs, froze salaries and slashed more than $700 million from quarterly sales and marketing expenses to convince investors of its profit-making ability.

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