Canva to lay off or relocate 1200 employees in global restructure

Graphic design software company Canva is cutting or relocating more than 1,200 jobs as part of a major restructuring effort. Reports from The Guardian, ABC News Australia, and Information Age confirm that the move impacts 22 percent of the company's global workforce. The restructuring involves laying off employees who helped build the Australian-founded platform. [1][2][3]

The Guardian reported that chief executive Melanie Perkins sent an email to staff describing the job cuts as without doubt the hardest moment in the company's thirteen-year history. The Guardian also noted that the layoffs mirror wider technology sector trends, as software businesses work to remain competitive against artificial intelligence disrupters while integrating AI features into their own products. [1]

Canva was founded in Perth in 2013 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams to make design tools accessible to non-designers. As FTMQ News reported earlier, tech sector job cuts have been ongoing, with firms like Dropbox and Front recently announcing local layoffs. [4][5][7]

By the end of 2025, Canva supported more than 265 million monthly active users across 190 countries and served customers in more than 100 languages. Users had created over 30 billion designs on the platform by that time. [5]