Vaping company Juul cuts 400 jobs amid growing setbacksWASHINGTON (AP) — Embattled vaping company Juul Labs announced hundreds of layoffs Thursday as the company weathers lawsuits, government bans and increasing competition for its electronic cigarettes.The new cash infusion came from two early Juul investors: Nicholas Pritzker, head of Hyatt Hotels, and Riaz Valani, a private equity specialist based in San Francisco, according to the same person.“This investment will allow Juul Labs to maintain business operations, continue advancing its administrative appeal of the FDA’s marketing denial order and support product innovation and science generation,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email.The biggest blow came in June when the Food and Drug Administration rejected the company’s application to keep its product on the market as a smoking alternative for adults, throwing its future into uncertainty.The decision means Juul could soon be forced to battle for space on retail shelves with Marlboro-maker Altria, along with longstanding competitors like Reynolds American’s Vuse, which recently edged past Juul to become the leading U.S. vaping brand."