This Company Laid Off 20% Of Its Staff, But They’re Getting 6 Months’ Pay, MacBooks, Healthcare & More
People online have praised how the company is handling the layoffs.
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Design software giant Canva has begun a major organisational restructuring affecting 1,271 employees, approximately 22% of its global workforce, as co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins realigns the company around smaller teams and shifting market demands
The reorganisation will see some staff reassigned to new roles or asked to relocate, while others will leave the company. In an internal message published on Canva's newsroom on 3 November, Perkins described the move as the hardest moment in the platform's 13-year history.
The announcement follows the Australian tech unicorn's decision in August to lower its projected 2026 revenue growth target from 30% to 20%, marking its first significant growth slowdown in a decade.
Laid-off employees will receive substantial exit benefits
The severance package guarantees at least six months' salary, inclusive of statutory entitlements across all international jurisdictions.
Staff will also be allowed to keep their company-issued MacBooks and receive 12 months of healthcare coverage where currently provided, alongside a full year of Canva Care support and career coaching.
The company has also waived the traditional one-year equity vesting cliff for employees who joined within the past 12 months.
To support entrepreneurial ventures, Canva launched the Canva Collective Fund, offering grants of USD10,000 (RM40,510) to departing staff pursuing new business concepts or community programmes without taking equity in return.
Canva clarified that the job cuts are not a result of replacing human roles with AI
Instead, a company spokesperson explained that the reorganisation consolidates the Product, Growth, and Platform divisions into a single unified team based primarily in Sydney, giving smaller teams greater autonomy.
Most hybrid employees will also be expected to return to physical offices two to three days a week from January 2027.
