Canva is cutting jobs while changing how its product teams operate and where employees work. The restructuring follows what CEO Melanie Perkins described as Canva’s first growth slowdown in a decade.
On Nov. 4, the Australian company said 1,271 people, or 22% of its workforce, would be affected by layoffs, role changes, or relocation. It has not disclosed how many employees will lose their jobs. Employees face changing responsibilities and work locations, while enterprise customers should watch for any changes to product delivery or support.
AI is part of Canva’s business pressures, but the company has not said AI is replacing the departing employees.
Canva combines teams as growth slows
In a public memo, CEO Melanie Perkins said growth had slowed for the first time in a decade. Product, Growth, and Platform will become one product organization, with fewer management layers and broader roles replacing some narrow specialties.
“We want to get back to spending more time building, and less time navigating how work gets done,” Perkins wrote, according to the memo.
Sydney will become the main base for more product teams. From January 2027, most hybrid staff are expected to spend around two to three days in the office each week, depending on their area. Departing staff will receive at least six months’ salary, including statutory entitlements, plus career assistance and healthcare coverage where offered. Canva also announced US$10,000 grants for departing workers interested in independent projects.
Information Age said Canva declined to provide a layoff count. The 1,271 total also includes employees changing roles or being asked to move.
AI costs add pressure, but layoffs are not directly attributed
Perkins referred to how new technology is changing customer expectations, but did not explicitly identify AI as the reason for the job cuts. ABC News reported that it understood Canva was restructuring to build AI-related products, rather than using AI to replace departing employees.
AI has nevertheless become a cost challenge. Fortune said in August that Canva reduced its expected 2026 revenue growth from 30% to 20% after high AI feature costs prompted a slower rollout.
“AI is making SaaS no longer a zero marginal cost solution,” PitchBook analyst Derek Hernandez told Fortune.
Rising AI costs are adding financial pressure on software companies, although Canva has not directly linked these expenses to its layoffs. Other technology companies have been more explicit about AI’s role in workforce decisions. Atlassian, for example, tied its 2026 job cuts to increased AI investment.
Canva’s restructuring puts product delivery and job roles in focus
Canva has expanded beyond graphic design, with its Visual Suite now covering documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and AI-powered features. As businesses increasingly rely on these tools for everyday operations, changes to Canva’s product organization may raise questions about future development and support.
Canva’s restructuring memo does not announce changes to customer products, support, or contracts. IT and procurement teams approaching a renewal or expanding a deployment can use the announcement to review several existing commitments:
- Confirm product and support commitments. Ask account representatives whether planned integrations, enterprise features, response targets, or named support contacts are changing. Record any revised dates.
- Confirm implementation contacts. If an upcoming deployment depends on Canva’s technical assistance, confirm who owns the work, how to escalate problems, and whether agreed milestones remain in place.
- Check workflow portability. Confirm ownership of essential designs and shared templates, test their export options, and document any formatting or collaboration features that do not carry over. This is routine continuity planning rather than evidence of a problem with Canva.
Affected employees should review severance and relocation terms under local rules. Anyone considering Canva’s US$10,000 grant should note the Dec. 14 deadline to register interest. Prospective applicants should ask whether advertised roles involve broader responsibilities, relocation, or specific office-attendance requirements.
Canva will hold a company-wide meeting on Nov. 10 as it moves forward with its restructuring, which comes amid widespread layoffs across the technology industry in 2026. The company has yet to disclose how many jobs will be eliminated, leaving employees waiting for greater clarity about the changes.
For businesses relying on Canva, the more important question is whether the reorganized teams can maintain product development schedules, reliable customer support, and existing security commitments.
Also read: Canva is far from the only tech company cutting jobs this year. Nearly 200,000 workers have been affected by tech layoffs in 2026, with Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft among the major companies reducing their workforces.