business
Canva Cuts 1,271 Roles as Co-Founders Face Turnaround Task
Canva cuts 1,271 roles in its biggest shake-up as co-founders face a turnaround task.
Key points
- Canva cut, changed or moved 1,271 roles, which the article calls the biggest shake-up in its history.
- The cuts tore through 22 per cent of Canva's workforce, according to the article.
- Melanie Perkins is due to address the company at its first all-hands meeting since the cuts on Tuesday.
Why it matters. Whether Canva can grow again rather than simply shrink is an open question and may help determine the future of remaining employees and the broader Australian technology sector.
Canva has cut, changed or moved 1,271 roles on Wednesday, its biggest shake-up yet, with the cuts tearing through 22 per cent of its workforce. Co-founder Melanie Perkins wrote to staff that she was "deeply sorry for the pain and disruption" the cuts would cause. A person familiar with the planning said the founders chose one-to-one talks with team leaders and let departing staff keep access through the week.
Latest updates
Canva Cuts 1,271 Roles as Co-Founders Face Turnaround Task
Canva has cut 1,271 roles, according to a report published on November 6, 2026. Insiders told the Sydney Morning Herald that co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht agonised over the decision for weeks. Among those affected was an employee who had joined the company as its first program manager eight years earlier. The layoffs make up a large share of the workforce and mark a difficult period for the Australian design software company. The co-founders now have to try to turn the company around.