Talk about a rough day at the office. Stripe, the online payments giant, recently laid off 300 employees—about 3.5% of its global workforce. But the bad news came with an unexpected twist: some of those let go received an email featuring a random cartoon duck. Yes, a duck.

The mix-up didn’t stop there. Some employees also got incorrect termination dates in the same email, making an already tough situation even more awkward. Stripe’s Chief People Officer, Rob McIntosh, quickly addressed the blunder in a memo, apologizing for the confusion and confirming that corrected emails were sent out.

The duck debacle was first reported by Business Insider, and it’s safe to say it’s not the kind of attention Stripe was hoping for. The layoffs are part of the company’s annual review and growth planning, with plans to expand its workforce to 10,000 by year-end.

This isn’t the first time Stripe has trimmed its staff. Back in 2022, the company cut about 14% of its workforce during a wave of tech layoffs. But this time, the duck image added a bizarre footnote to an otherwise somber announcement.

While the cartoon duck might have lightened the mood for some, it’s a reminder that even tech giants can stumble when delivering tough news. Here’s hoping the affected employees land on their feet—and maybe get a laugh out of the duck story down the line.