In a revealing interview, OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair has attributed the content platform's extraordinary financial success to a radical organisational choice: the complete elimination of middle management. With a lean team of just 42 employees generating a colossal $7 billion in annual revenue, the UK-based company's model is turning heads in the corporate world.
The "Squidgy Layer" That OnlyFans Avoids
Speaking on the Masters of Scale podcast, Blair detailed the company's unique hiring and management philosophy. She explained that OnlyFans strategically hires at two extremes: incredibly senior talent and exceptionally hungry junior talent. The focus during recruitment is on attitude and aptitude rather than just experience.
"We do not have that sort of squidgy layer of middle management in the middle, because nobody's ever had a really good middle manager in my experience," Blair stated candidly. She challenged the conventional wisdom that leaders need large teams reporting to them, emphasising that at OnlyFans, employees can be a "team of one" and deliver exceptional, highly valued results. The company has abolished a traditional "manager track," focusing solely on individual contribution.
Echoing Big Tech's Management Shake-Up
This approach appears to align with a broader trend sweeping through major technology corporations. Since the wave of layoffs in late 2023, a significant portion of job cuts has targeted middle managers. Giants like Amazon, Google (Alphabet), Intel, Meta, and Microsoft have all slashed such roles to flatten corporate hierarchies.
In April 2025, reports indicated Microsoft was working to reduce the "PM ratio"—the number of product or program managers relative to engineers. Similarly, Amazon's Andy Jassy aims to increase the ratio of workers to managers, and Google's Sundar Pichai noted a 10% reduction in managerial roles as part of cost-cutting. Other firms like UPS and Citigroup have also cut thousands of supervisory positions since 2023.
Staggering Revenue Per Employee: $37.6 Million
The financial outcome of OnlyFans' lean structure is nothing short of astounding. According to data from Barchart, the platform's 42 employees generate an average of $37.6 million each in revenue. This metric dwarfs the per-employee revenue of the world's largest tech firms.
For perspective, here is how OnlyFans compares to its tech peers:
- Nvidia: $3.6 million per employee
- Apple: $2.4 million per employee
- Meta: $2.2 million per employee
- Google: $1.9 million per employee
- OpenAI & Microsoft: $1.1 million per employee each
While these tech behemoths far outpace OnlyFans in total revenue due to their massive workforces, the content platform's efficiency per head is unparalleled. Blair proudly described her small team as "a pretty efficient bunch," a statement the numbers overwhelmingly support. This case study presents a compelling argument for re-evaluating traditional corporate structures in the pursuit of agility and extreme efficiency.
