Level Home, the smart lock company that made headlines for hiding all the tech inside a standard deadbolt, has been gutted. Assa Abloy, its parent company, has laid off most of the staff and is folding the brand into Kwikset.
The Verge got exclusive details from someone who was in the room for the layoffs. An audio recording captures Assa Abloy’s CTO and North American HR head telling employees their positions were eliminated, effective immediately, as part of a larger restructuring.
Level’s whole pitch was elegant — smart lock functionality without the bulky, obviously-smart-lock look. Battery, motor, electronics, all tucked inside the deadbolt itself. It won design awards and a loyal following.
But elegant engineering doesn’t always translate to a sustainable business. Assa Abloy apparently decided the brand made more sense folded into Kwikset’s existing smart lock lineup rather than operating independently.
The founders are out. Most of the team is gone. Another hardware startup absorbed into the corporate machine.
