HomeAUTech Giant's Workforce Reduction of 4,000 Jobs May Affect Hundreds of Australians

Tech Giant’s Workforce Reduction of 4,000 Jobs May Affect Hundreds of Australians

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The parent company of Afterpay and Square has announced it has culled 4000 jobs from its workforce around the world, potentially impacting hundreds of Australia
Block, a US-based company that also runs platforms such as Square and Cash App, made the announcement via their co-founder Jack Dorsey this morning, who claimed the changing role of AI in the industry and not financial struggles were the key motivator.
“We’re not making this decision because we’re in trouble,” he said in a letter to staff, which was also shared on X.
Jack Dorsey, Block's founder, claimed it was better for company "morale" to do the job cuts at once, rather than stagger them out.
Jack Dorsey claimed it was better for company “morale” to do the job cuts at once, rather than stagger them out. (Getty)

“However, a shift is occurring. The intelligence tools we’re developing, combined with more streamlined teams, are revolutionizing how companies are built and operated,” explained Dorsey.

Dorsey revealed he faced a choice: to implement the layoffs gradually or execute them all at once.

“Multiple rounds of layoffs can erode morale, hinder focus, and damage the trust customers and shareholders have in our leadership. I prefer to take decisive action now and rebuild from a position of strength, rather than slowly reducing our workforce to reach the same end,” he stated.

Afterpay
Afterpay is one of the platforms owned by Block. (Louie Douvis)

The global workforce of the company previously stood at 10,000 employees, but Dorsey announced this figure will now be reduced to fewer than 6,000.

According to LinkedIn, Block employs over 1,000 individuals in Australia. However, the number of Australian employees affected by these layoffs remains uncertain.

When asked by Nine.com.au how many Australians would be affected, a company spokesperson said it declined to break the news down by region and provided several statistics from the company’s latest financial results.

Block also declined to say how many jobs would be culled, if any, from Afterpay.

Afterpay was founded in Sydney in 2014 and has its main Australian office in Melbourne CBD.

Square manufactures many payment terminal systems that are used for tap and go card payments.
Square manufactures many payment terminal systems that are used for tap and go card payments. (Square)

Square was also contacted for comment on the extent of its job losses.

Their main office is also in Melbourne CBD and they opened a Sydney office in Chippendale in 2024.

The company is known for manufacturing tap and go payment terminals, which many smaller businesses use to process card payments, allowing them to accept payment by phone as well.

Block made a $10.36 billion gross profit in 2025, a 17 per cent growth year on year, according to its presentation to investors.

More than $6 billion of this came from Cash App, with Square contributing to nearly $4 billion.

Block’s job cull comes the same week Australian-based software company WiseTech announced cuts of around 2000 people over the next two years.
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