Block Faces Major Layoffs as AI Mandates Create Employee Anxiety

MARCO BELLO/AFP via Getty Images Twitter founder Jack Dorsey is running into some serious issues while overhauling his financial services company, Block. Earlier this month, the company started laying off its staff as part of what Bloomberg characterized as an “efficiency push,” potentially affecting up to ten percent of the

company’s workforce. It’s been a painful, drawn-out process that could drag on for weeks, sources told Wired , triggering major anxiety over job security. “We don’t yet know if our livelihoods will be affected, and this makes it incredibly hard to make major life choices without knowing if we still have a job next

week,” an employee said during a recent all-hands meeting, as quoted by Wired . “Morale is probably the worst I’ve felt in four years,” another employee wrote.

“The overarching culture at Block is crumbling.” The comments highlight persistent concerns being felt by many workers as generative AI continues to be cited by executives as they cut headcounts. For Dorsey, AI has clearly been top of mind. Block staffers are now obligated to use AI, an order that has led to frustration.