Modern Hydrogen laid off most of its employees, GeekWire reported on December 2, 2025. The report did not give a worker count, and the company had not publicly explained the reduction. A vendor email from CFO Amir Moftakhar cited funding changes and a significant reduction in operations. The company’s later operating status and the fate of its technology and equipment were not established by the available reporting.
What happened at Modern Hydrogen?
GeekWire reported that the Seattle-area clean-energy startup had laid off most of its employees. The report did not establish the exact number affected. It said Modern Hydrogen had not publicly explained the workforce reduction.
The report cited an October 30, 2025 email from CFO Amir Moftakhar to some subcontractors and vendors. He wrote: “We wanted to inform you that, due to recent changes in our funding situation and a significant reduction in company operations, we must terminate our engagement with you effective 10/30/2025.” He described the decision as part of a broader restructuring effort. That explanation came from the reported vendor email, not a public company announcement. GeekWire reported the layoffs and quoted the email.
How many employees were laid off?
No precise layoff count was reported. GeekWire said the company had approximately 80 employees around the time of a $25 million funding round about a year earlier, based on its analysis of LinkedIn data. That earlier estimate is not the number of employees laid off, and it cannot be used to calculate a reliable layoff total or percentage.
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What did Modern Hydrogen make?
The company developed equipment that cracks natural gas molecules, a process commonly called methane pyrolysis, to produce hydrogen and solid carbon. GeekWire reported that the carbon could have industrial uses, including as an ingredient in asphalt.
Modern Hydrogen began in 2015 at Intellectual Ventures as Modern Electron. It initially focused on devices paired with home furnaces and hot-water tanks to capture waste heat and generate electricity. GeekWire reported that the company pivoted to hydrogen and changed its name in 2023.
Had the technology reached commercial use?
Before the layoffs, the company had completed two utility pilot projects, in Portland, Oregon, and Miami, according to GeekWire. It was preparing to complete its first commercial unit for a customer in Texas when the workforce reduction was reported. That planned unit is not evidence of a completed commercial deployment or sale.
In January 2025, Modern Hydrogen announced a memorandum of understanding with Puget Sound Energy to identify potential industrial customers. The prospective users discussed included steel, cement, and pulp-and-paper manufacturers, whose processes require very high temperatures. The agreement described customer-development work, not completed sales. GeekWire’s report details the pilots and prospective customer work.
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GeekWire reported that Modern Hydrogen had raised $125 million since its 2015 launch, including a $25 million round roughly a year before the December 2025 report. These are historical funding figures reported by GeekWire; they do not establish how much money remained available when the layoffs occurred.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Modern Hydrogen shut down, and what happens to its equipment?
The December 2025 report said it was unclear whether the company was closing, what would happen to its machinery and technology, or whether any part of the effort would continue in another form. A January 2026 JETRO hydrogen-industry digest included a December 8 item describing Modern Hydrogen as “shut down,” but that secondary characterization did not identify a company statement or establish the present operating status. JETRO’s January 2026 digest therefore does not resolve the company’s status or the disposition of its assets.
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Former government affairs and public policy lead Michael Jung told GeekWire, “A lot of folks were rooting for us,” adding, “I think we would have solved some key problems in the energy transition.”
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