Canva CEO Melanie Perkins Announces Workforce Restructuring
Canva co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins says the company will reorganise its teams as technological change and slower growth reshape its plans appshunter.io/Unsplash

Canva will restructure its workforce, affecting 1,271 people, or 22% of its staff, as co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins reorganises the design platform around smaller teams and technological change. Some employees will have their roles changed or be asked to relocate, while others will leave the company.

In a note published in Canva's newsroom on 3 November, Perkins called the decision 'without doubt the hardest moment in our thirteen-year history'.

Employees leaving will receive at least six months' salary, healthcare coverage, career support and their company-issued MacBooks. A new fund will also offer $10,000 grants to departing employees interested in starting a business or pursuing a community project.

Canva has not disclosed how many of the 1,271 affected employees will lose their jobs.

Canva Offers Departing Staff Six Months' Pay and $10,000 Grants

The departure package includes at least six months' salary, inclusive of statutory entitlements, regardless of where employees are based. Additional benefits include:

  • 12 months of healthcare coverage in countries where Canva already provides it.
  • One year of Canva Care, the company's employee assistance programme, extending to departing employees and their families.
  • Career support, including one-to-one coaching, CV reviews, interview preparation and a year of LinkedIn Premium.
  • Company-issued MacBooks, which departing employees will be allowed to keep.
  • Removal of the one-year equity vesting cliff for employees who joined within the past year.
  • US$10,000 grants for departing employees interested in starting a business or pursuing a community project.

Canva's Talent Acquisition team will also help departing employees prepare for interviews and find new opportunities.

The company is establishing the Canva Collective Fund to support eligible business and community initiatives. Interested employees have until 14 December to register their interest. Canva will not take ownership or equity in ventures supported by the fund.

Read more

Laid-Off Canva Employees Share Their Heartbreak

Several employees have taken to LinkedIn to describe their experiences following the announcement. Group Content Design Lead Dunja Popovs said she woke up to discover she was among those laid off.

'Truthfully I am sad and devastated,' she wrote, adding that she was grateful for the opportunity to work alongside talented colleagues. Popovs also encouraged her professional network to help affected employees find new opportunities.

Communications specialist Chris Hew, who joined Canva in August 2021, described himself as 'gutted by the outcome'. Hew said he was proud of helping establish Canva's business-to-business communications and global analyst relations operations. He also thanked colleagues, friends and industry contacts for their support.

Lead Content Designer Karlton Pang, who relocated from Singapore to Sydney in 2023, described feeling 'frustration, relief, and clarity all at once'. Pang said Canva's 'Be a good human' philosophy had helped persuade him to move thousands of kilometres from home.

Meanwhile, Operations Business Partner Monica Gonzalez Castro confirmed that the layoffs had brought her four-year journey at Canva to an unexpected end. She praised her former colleagues and said she was searching for her next professional opportunity.

Canva Brings Product, Growth and Platform Teams Together

Perkins attributed the restructuring to technological developments, organisational complexity and slower growth. She described 2026 as Canva's 'hardest year yet', with growth slowing for the first time in a decade.

The company plans to bring its Product, Growth and Platform teams together under one Product organisation, reducing unnecessary handovers and giving smaller teams greater autonomy. Canva will also simplify organisational layers and make Sydney the primary home for more product teams.

From January 2027, most hybrid employees are expected to spend around two to three days a week in the office.

Canva Says AI Is Not Replacing Departing Employees

Perkins did not explicitly mention artificial intelligence in the restructuring announcement, although she referred to new technology changing how people create and use digital products. Canva subsequently clarified its position to the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

'These changes are about setting Canva up to build those products, not using AI to do the work of people who are leaving,' a company spokesperson told AAP.

The clarification follows Canva lowering its expected 2026 revenue growth rate from 30% to 20% in August. Affected employees will receive individual meetings with senior leaders, while a company-wide meeting is scheduled for 10 November.

Writer's pick