WiseTech Global to Cut 2,000 Jobs in AI Restructuring

WiseTech Global will eliminate approximately 2,000 jobs, nearly 30% of its global workforce, across 40 countries in a two-year AI-driven restructuring.

WiseTech Global Announces Major AI-Driven Layoffs

WiseTech Global, the Australian logistics software company behind the CargoWise platform, has announced it will cut approximately 2,000 jobs—nearly 30% of its global workforce—as part of a two-year restructuring to integrate artificial intelligence into its operations. The company employs around 7,000 people across 40 countries.

Executive Statements on AI and Job Losses

CEO Zubin Appoo framed the transformation in stark terms, stating that the era of manually writing code as the core act of engineering is over. He noted that some projects that once took six or seven months can now be completed in a single day, and that rolling out global customs capability in a new country—previously a two-year undertaking—could be done six or seven times faster.

Founder and executive chairman Richard White, speaking at a Macquarie Bank investment conference, reportedly said it does not take much effort to convince people that they are stupid to be paying $100 for labour when you can pay $2 for the AI. He also indicated that AI agents built into the CargoWise platform would allow customers to cut their own labour costs by 50% within two years.

Scope of the Restructuring

The layoffs will affect product, development, and customer service teams, with cuts of up to 50% in those areas. More than 500 roles had already been eliminated in the current financial year before the broader announcement. The phased layoffs are expected to unfold over the next 18 to 24 months.

Market and Internal Reactions

WiseTech shares (ASX: WTC) jumped 11.1% on the day the restructuring was announced in February. The announcement came on the same day the company reported first-half profits that beat market expectations.

Months after the initial announcement, redundancies remained unresolved. The Australian Financial Review reported that WiseTech extended consultation deadlines repeatedly and ignored union emails discussing the plan. Consultations originally scheduled for May 18 were pushed to May 25, with communications about the delay arriving days late.

A Sydney-based software engineer wrote on Microsoft Teams in May 2026 that they could not, in good conscience, keep this information to themselves any longer, adding that these are real lives and families being affected and that we are human.

Escalation to Threats of Violence

On Sunday evening, May 24, Richard White emailed all staff on behalf of the entire WiseTech Board of Directors. The message stated that in the past week, the situation had escalated into a hand-written threat of violence made against CEO Zubin Appoo, containing personal information and offensive comments directed at members of his family. The matter was reported to police, and security at WiseTech's Sydney office had already been quietly upgraded.

Broader Implications

The episode has been described as a cautionary tale for employers on how not to announce AI-driven redundancies. WiseTech's move is one of the clearest examples of a company explicitly linking AI capabilities to mass workforce reduction, with concrete numbers and timelines attached. The company has no cryptocurrency holdings, no token, and no blockchain integration that we know of.