Canva Cuts 22% of Staff as Tech Layoffs Top 171,000 in 2026

Canva will lay off or relocate 22% of its staff — 1,271 people — as tech job cuts across the industry reach 171,501 announced positions this year, 21% more than the same period a year earlier. Amazon, Angi, Block and Squarespace have all announced fresh reductions in the run-up to the holidays.

The numbers come from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which tracks announced cuts. The figure is set to rise again once November's reductions are counted.

What is Amazon cutting?

Amazon filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) with Washington state this week covering 95 employees. In the notice's language, "approximately 95 employees will be separated from employment with Amazon." Affected roles include managers, software developers and engineers.

The cuts belong to a round first reported in October, when impacted workers were notified. Amazon has cut more than 30,000 employees over the past year — roughly the population of a mid-sized town.

"We've adjusted parts of our Stores business because we believe this structure will better enable us to deliver on our priorities," an Amazon spokesperson said at the time. "As part of these changes, we've made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles, and we're committed to supporting affected employees through their transition."

Takeaway: Amazon is still trimming, even as it frames each round as small.

Why is Angi shedding 300 jobs?

Angi Inc., the home-services platform formerly known as Angi's List, disclosed in a November 3 Form 8-K filing with the SEC that it is cutting approximately 300 roles worldwide. The same filing reported Q3 2026 revenue down 9% year over year.

Angi said the layoffs are designed "to increase focus and organizational velocity." The company described the affected positions as "mostly in middle management and support functions."

Takeaway: shrinking revenue and a thinner hierarchy arrived in the same filing.

How many jobs is Block cutting this time?

Block Inc., Jack Dorsey's payments company, reportedly announced further layoffs this week — one day after reporting Q3 results in which it raised its gross profit forecast for the year.

Block has not publicly said how many employees will lose their jobs this round. Earlier this year, the company openly eliminated 4,000 employees as part of an AI push. The new cuts are expected to hit Cash App's and Square's Customer Ops, Learning & Content Operations, and Risk Ops teams.

Takeaway: a raised forecast did not spare operational teams.

What did Canva announce?

On November 3, the design software company announced "significant changes" affecting 1,271 people, or 22% of its staff, who will either relocate or leave.

"For some people, this will mean changes to their roles or being asked to relocate to centralised hubs," CEO Melanie Perkins wrote in a blog post. "Sadly, it will also mean saying goodbye to teammates and friends who have helped build Canva into what it is today."

"To set ourselves up for the next decade, we need to refound Canva, getting back to our roots of small, empowered teams with the freedom to make decisions, take ownership and focus on what matters most for our community," Perkins said. "It also means making some of the hardest decisions we've ever faced, including saying goodbye to people who have helped make Canva what it is today."

Industry watchers fear Canva could be among the companies most disrupted by AI, as users turn from traditional design tools to simply telling chatbots what to design. Canva's leadership did not frame the restructuring that way.

Takeaway: one in five Canva employees faces relocation or exit.

What about Squarespace?

On Monday, website-builder platform Squarespace confirmed it will lay off about 300 employees, roughly 19% of its 1,800-strong workforce, the Verge reported.

Squarespace, like Canva, operates in a market — website development — that many theorize AI could greatly disrupt. A company spokesperson said: "The changes are intended to simplify how we operate, sharpen our priorities and enable the company to move faster as we position Squarespace for its next phase of growth."

Takeaway: nearly one in five Squarespace employees is affected, with AI disruption as the unspoken backdrop.

Is the broader layoff picture improving?

Somewhat, but not in tech. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports U.S. industries announced 617,189 job cuts through October 2026 — well below the 1,099,500 cut by the same point last year, a drop of roughly 44%.

Tech breaks the trend. October's 5,576 tech cuts were the sector's lowest monthly total of the year, yet tech has led all industries in 2026 layoff announcements with 171,501 positions lost. Both Canva and Squarespace frame their restructurings as readiness for their "next phase"; neither names AI as the cause, even as analysts flag both companies' markets as vulnerable.

With November's cuts still uncounted, the sector's total will only climb higher.