Block has made the difficult decision to lay off 931 workers, constituting approximately eight percent of its workforce, as reported by TechCrunch and The Guardian. In an email viewed by these publications, Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and CEO of the financial technology company, discussed the recent organizational changes. Dorsey explained that the layoffs were based on three main areas, with the first being strategy. The company is letting go of 391 employees who are part of «teams that are off strategy.» Additionally, 460 workers who received a «below» rating or are trending towards a «below» rating in internal performance metrics are also being separated from the company.
Furthermore, Block is laying off 80 managers and transitioning 193 employees to individual contributor roles in order to streamline the organization and eliminate layers of middle management. Dorsey clarified in his email that the layoffs were not driven by financial targets, headcount goals, or the implementation of artificial intelligence. Instead, the focus was on strategic realignment and organizational efficiency to enable faster decision-making with less bureaucracy. Dorsey acknowledged that all employees at Block have equity in the company and that the restructuring will enhance focus and execution to drive better results. Notably, Block’s stock prices have declined by approximately 30 percent this year.
Dorsey justified the decision to lay off almost 1,000 employees at once by stating that the company needed to act swiftly to keep pace with the evolving industry landscape. Alongside the layoffs, Block is closing 748 open positions and retaining only key leadership roles, critical positions, and those that have advanced to the offer stage. Block, the parent company of Square and Cash App, previously underwent a restructuring in early 2024, resulting in the elimination of nearly 1,000 jobs to streamline operations and reduce the workforce to around 12,000 employees. Despite these efforts, Block had approximately 11,300 employees worldwide by December 2024, falling short of its target set in 2023.
This article was originally published on Engadget. He stated that the decision to flatten the organization was based on strategy, aiming to enable the company to «move faster and with less abstraction.» The CEO acknowledged that all employees at Block have equity in the company and that the reorganization is intended to improve focus and execution. Block’s stock prices have dropped by approximately 30 percent this year.
Dorsey clarified that the company is laying off nearly 1,000 employees at once rather than gradually, as they are behind in their actions and need to catch up with the industry’s transformation. Along with the layoffs, Block is closing 748 open positions, retaining only key leadership, critical roles, and those already in the offer stage. In early 2024, Block, which owns Square and Cash App, underwent a similar reorganization, laying off nearly 1,000 employees to streamline the company and reduce its headcount to around 12,000. By December 2024, Block had approximately 11,300 employees worldwide, falling short of its original goal set in 2023.
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