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Jack Dorsey is trying to move the goal posts on AI and layoffs. Block’s 40% cut in staffing is likely to inspire other leaders to follow suit, just not as extreme. Like Elon’s 80% cut at Twitter inspired 10-20% cuts and Andy Jassy’s demand for 5 days in office led to 3 day demands in most of tech.

2/3/26, 4:50 pm1 repost3 likes

Brian Elliott

@elliottsf.com

2 Mar

It’s about shifting the Overton Window. Jack’s also got other motives. He’s selling AI-enabled tech products to businesses. As their web site puts it, “The next era of computing will run itself.” Block also is 2X larger in 2025 than it was in 2020, while the stock had dropped 75% in the same period.

Brian Elliott

@elliottsf.com

2 Mar

This is a restructuring play, not a universal AI productivity playbook. Shades of Twitter, where when Jack was CEO “absent” was the word most often used to describe him and he took the blame for bloated headcount. Where do you think this goes next? My column in TIME: time.com/charter/7382...

time.comBlock’s layoffs are an outlier. Their influence might not be.Four factors to keep in mind in response to Block’s layoffs of 40% of its workforce