Block cuts dozens of marketing roles in Australia after global layoffs

Global payments company Block has cut dozens of marketing and communications roles in Australia, part of a broader restructuring that will eliminate roughly 4,000 jobs worldwide as the company reshapes its workforce.

The layoffs have significantly reduced Block’s Australian presence, with industry reports indicating that around 60% of the company’s local full-time roles have been eliminated following the global restructuring.

According to Mumbrella, nearly two dozen employees working across Afterpay, Square and Block’s corporate teams in Australia confirmed on LinkedIn over the past week that their roles had been cut.

Senior marketing leaders among those affected

Several senior executives in marketing and communications have been impacted by the reductions.

Those leaving include chief marketing officer Joel Moran and vice president of advertising Andrew Gilbert, alongside senior leaders such as Asia-Pacific head of communications Lucas Howe, director of client partnerships Katie Gadsby, and creative director Claire Simon.

The marketing group is understood to have managed a significant regional budget. Industry estimates cited by Mumbrella suggest the team oversaw about US$100 million in annual marketing expenditure, including roughly US$20 million in traditional advertising across Australia and New Zealand, with the remainder focused on partnership-driven campaigns.

Global layoffs reshape Block’s workforce

The Australian cuts follow a sweeping restructuring announced by Block chief executive Jack Dorsey earlier this year.

The company said it plans to reduce its global workforce by about 40%, or roughly 4,000 employees, shrinking the combined staff of Block, Square, Cash App, Afterpay and Tidal to fewer than 6,000 workers from about 10,000.

Dorsey said advances in automation and internal intelligence tools were enabling the company to operate with smaller teams.

“We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company,” Dorsey wrote on social media following the announcement.

Reuters has reported that technology firms worldwide are restructuring operations as automation and artificial intelligence begin to reshape organisational structures.

Afterpay’s marketing legacy

The layoffs carry particular significance in Australia because Afterpay was founded in the country in 2014 and built its brand through high-profile marketing campaigns.

Block acquired the buy-now-pay-later provider in 2022 for about US$29 billion, integrating it into its global payments ecosystem.

Over the past decade, Afterpay invested heavily in marketing partnerships and cultural campaigns.

Among the company’s most visible initiatives were its “Full Swede” collaboration with Ikea Australia, the #AfterpayRunway TikTok challenge launched in 2020, and sponsorship of Australian Fashion Week from 2021 to 2023. The company also enlisted actor Rebel Wilson for a high-profile advertising campaign.

Industry shifts and personal impact

Some of the affected employees have publicly reflected on the restructuring.

Andrew Gilbert wrote on LinkedIn that the cuts reflected broader shifts within the technology and marketing industries.

“I understand the business rationale. Markets shift. Companies refocus. But restructures aren’t headlines — they’re people,” he said, adding that AI-driven changes were reshaping the sector.

Creative director Claire Simon, who spent more than five years at Afterpay, said the changes highlight a major transformation in how work is organised.

“A seismic shift is happening in how we work,” she wrote. “AI can make us more efficient, but it cannot replace human relationships.”

Uncertain outlook for the local operation

The layoffs leave questions about Block’s long-term strategy in Australia, where Afterpay once maintained one of its most visible marketing operations.

A Block spokesperson in Australia did not comment on the restructuring by the time of publication.

As global technology companies continue to streamline operations and adopt automation, industry analysts say marketing, communications and support functions are increasingly among the first areas affected by workforce reductions.

For Block, the restructuring signals a shift towards leaner teams and greater reliance on automation, even as the company continues to expand its digital payments and financial technology platforms worldwide.