WiseTech Cuts 7,000 Jobs as CEO Claims AI Can Master Human Work in 15 Minutes
Key Takeaways
- ▸WiseTech is reducing its 7,000-person workforce by 30% (2,000 jobs) over 18 months, with development and customer service teams facing up to 50% cuts as the company adopts AI
- ▸Nearly three months post-announcement, staff remain unaware if they'll be affected, creating workplace anxiety and morale challenges
- ▸CEO claims AI agents can learn human jobs in 15 minutes, positioning AI as a major productivity multiplier while raising existential concerns among employees
Summary
WiseTech announced in late February that it would lay off nearly 30% of its workforce (7,000 jobs) over 18 months, with product development and customer service teams facing reductions of up to 50% due to AI advancements. CEO Zubin Appoo has claimed that AI agents can learn a human's job in just 15 minutes and stated that "the era of manually writing code as the core act of engineering is over." However, nearly three months after the announcement, affected staff remain in limbo, still unaware whether they will be among the 2,000 jobs initially targeted for cuts, creating significant workplace stress and uncertainty.
Unlike competitors such as Block and Atlassian that informed affected employees at announcement time, WiseTech has conducted consultations in a "structured and phased" manner, framing this as "real organisational transformation" rather than cost-cutting. The extended timeline has created a psychologically challenging situation where workers must continue delivering results while simultaneously helping implement the AI tools potentially designed to replace them, with employees reporting the experience as working "under serious stress and uncertainty."
- The delayed notification process, combined with requiring staff to implement their own replacement technology, has created ethical and morale issues that differentiate WiseTech's approach from industry peers
