Canva to lay off 22% of it's staff

Canva, the Australian design software company valued at US$31 billion (A$44 billion), has announced its first-ever redundancy round in its 13-year history. The cuts will affect 22 per cent of its workforce. The company says the large-scale reduction is needed to return it to its roots as a small technology start-up, signalling a major change in how it intends to organise and operate.

The job losses come as Canva faces intensifying competition from major artificial intelligence models and works to maintain its relevance. The announcement places the workforce reduction in the context of a fast-changing technology market, where AI is increasing pressure on established software businesses. Canva’s stated aim is to regain a smaller, more start-up-like footing; the details provided do not identify which teams will be affected or explain how the new structure will work. The central question is whether this reset will help the company respond more effectively to AI-driven competition while sustaining its position as one of Australia’s most valuable technology firms.