Canva is announcing changes and layoffs affecting 22 percent of its staff

Canva is making significant changes affecting 1,271 people, which is 22 percent of its staff, co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins announced today. “For some people, this will mean changes to their roles or being asked to relocate to centralised hubs,” says Perkins. “Sadly, it will also mean saying goodbye to teammates and friends who have helped build Canva into what it is today.”

In her note to staff, Perkins says that:

> After exploring a wide range of alternatives, I’ve come to the difficult conclusion that small changes won’t be enough. To set ourselves up for the next decade, we need to refound Canva, getting back to our roots of small, empowered teams with the freedom to make decisions, take ownership and focus on what matters most for our community.

Canva’s changes include bringing its Product, Growth, and Platform teams together into one product organization, “simplifying layers” and “consolidating overlapping responsibilities,” and making Sydney the “primary home for more of our product teams, as well as roles in other Specialties where shared context and close collaboration are especially important.” Starting in January, Canva will also “expect” most hybrid employees to spend 2 to 3 days in an office each week “depending on what makes sense in your area.”

Employees leaving Canva will get benefits including at least six months of salary, twelve months of healthcare coverage, and career support resources.

Yesterday, Squarespace announced layoffs affecting 19 percent of its staff.