Canva Restructure Affects 1,271 Employees, 22% of Its Workforce
Canva told staff on Wednesday, November 4, that 1,271 people will be affected by a company restructure. That is 22% of its workforce. Some will lose their jobs. Others will see their roles change or be asked to relocate to central hubs.
Co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins announced the changes in a note to employees, which Canva also published on its newsroom. The company has not said how many of the 1,271 will leave.
How the news reached staff
Talk of redundancies or a hiring freeze started circulating inside Canva on Tuesday. By Wednesday, staff had an email telling them whether their role was affected. Those affected get a calendar invite for a one-on-one meeting with a senior leader in their area.
Canva has teams in 37 countries, and Perkins said timing will follow local requirements. A company-wide meeting is set for November 10.
The reasons Perkins gave
Perkins wrote that this is “without doubt the hardest moment in our thirteen-year history.” She said growth slowed for the first time in a decade and that “small changes won’t be enough.” She wants Canva to “refound” itself around small, empowered teams.
The memo did not name AI as the cause. It pointed to slowing growth and a structure that had become fragmented. The cuts come as AI image tools, including those from OpenAI and Google, add pressure on design software. Canva also lowered its 2026 revenue growth forecast from 30% to 20%.
Teams merge and Sydney becomes the hub
Canva is merging its product, growth and platform teams into one product organization. It is also cutting management layers and combining roles that overlap. Perkins cited fragmented ownership and too many handovers.
Sydney becomes the main base for more product teams. From January 2027, most hybrid employees are expected in the office around two to three days a week. Canva had previously asked staff to work from their nearest hub twice a quarter, then removed that requirement. Employees asked to relocate will get support.
What leaving staff get
Everyone leaving receives at least six months of salary, including statutory entitlements, regardless of location. The package also includes:
- 12 months of continued healthcare coverage in countries where Canva provides it
- 12 months of Canva Care, its employee assistance program, extended to family members
- One-on-one career coaching, interview preparation and a year of LinkedIn Premium
- Removal of the one-year vesting cliff for people who joined in the past year
- An opt-in alumni directory shared with Canva’s investors, partners and industry network
- Their Canva MacBook
Canva is also launching the Canva Collective Fund. It offers US$10,000 grants to departing employees who want to start something of their own. Canva says it will take no ownership or equity. Departing staff have until December 14 to register interest. They keep Slack and Gmail access until the end of the week.
What Canva said in March
Canva confirmed in March that it had no plans to lay off staff. The company had cut 10 of its 12 technical writers in 2025 and 32 finance jobs in January. In August, Blackbird and Airtree, two of Canva’s longest-standing backers, cut their valuation of the company by 17%, from US$42 billion to US$34.9 billion.
