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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Technology
Blake Montgomery

What was really behind Jack Dorsey laying off nearly half of Block’s staff?

man wearing black smiles while standing outside
Jack Dorsey leaves the Élysée Palace in Paris, France, on 7 June 2019. Photograph: François Mori/AP

Jack Dorsey cited AI as the driving force behind cutting 40% of his company’s employees, but other factors such as a weak crypto market, overstaffing and a declining stock price may also have motivated the move.

Last week, the financial technology company Block announced that it would lay off 4,000 of its 10,000 workers. Dorsey, Block’s CEO, said in a letter to shareholders that advances in AI “have changed what it means to build and run a company”.

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