TLDR
Canva says 1,271 people, or 22% of the company, will be affected by a restructure that will see some roles cut, others changed and some staff asked to relocate. Co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins told staff growth has slowed for the first time in a decade and Canva needs to 'refound' itself, with Sydney becoming the primary home for more product teams.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What Canva announced
Canva has told staff that 1,271 people, or 22% of the company, will be affected by a restructure. For some it means a changed role or a request to relocate to a central hub; for others it means leaving the company. Canva has teams across 37 countries, and the timing of individual conversations will vary with local rules.[1]
"This is without doubt the hardest moment in our thirteen-year history," co-founder and chief executive Melanie Perkins wrote in a note to staff that Canva also published on its newsroom. "This has been our hardest year yet, and as we shared earlier this year, our growth has slowed for the first time in a decade."[1]
"After exploring a wide range of alternatives, I've come to the difficult conclusion that small changes won't be enough," she wrote. Canva needs to "refound" itself, she said, "getting back to our roots of small, empowered teams".[1]
Three changes, and a bigger role for Sydney
Canva is merging its Product, Growth and Platform groups into one Product Org, folding narrower specialties into broader roles and removing layers of management. It is also bringing closely connected teams together: Sydney will become the primary home for more product teams and for other roles where close collaboration matters, and from January most hybrid staff are expected in the office two to three days a week.[1]
Staff who leave will receive at least six months' salary, inclusive of statutory entitlements, 12 months of continued healthcare in countries where Canva provides it, career coaching and their Canva MacBook. A new Canva Collective Fund will offer US$10,000 grants to those who want to start something of their own, with Canva taking no equity. Perkins will hold a company all-hands on 10 November.[1]
The slowdown behind it
Canva entered 2026 valued at US$40 billion and was seen as a leading IPO prospect. Since then T. Rowe Price has cut the value of its Canva shares by 20%, an implied valuation of US$30.4 billion as of 31 August, and Blackbird, Canva's largest shareholder, cut its internal valuation by 17%. Canva lowered its projected revenue growth from 30% to 20%, according to Forbes Australia.[2]
The cuts come as Canva pushes further into AI. In October it launched Craft, its first foundation model, which co-founder Cliff Obrecht has described as a new revenue stream.[2] Perkins's note does not name AI as a reason for the restructure, though she wrote that "new technology is transforming what people can create, how they create it, and what they expect from the products they use".[1]
For Australian marketers and agencies, Canva is a supplier as well as a local success story. It has been widening what it sells to marketers, including in-game ad buying through Livewire. Canva says team leads will share more about changes in each area by the end of this week.[1]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
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James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
