Australia’s logistics software company WiseTech Global plans to cut about 2,000 jobs worldwide, which is nearly one-third of its workforce, as artificial intelligence changes how it operates.
AI Drives Job Reductions in Major Restructuring
WiseTech said on Wednesday that it will make these cuts gradually over the next two years as it restructures to use more artificial intelligence tools. The job reductions will affect roles throughout the company’s operations in about 40 countries.
The layoffs will significantly reduce staff in product development and customer service teams, with some divisions losing half their employees. WiseTech’s U.S. cloud computing arm, E2open, which was acquired in 2025, could see up to 50% of its staff cut, according to news.com.au.
CEO: “Era of Manual Coding Is Over”
CEO Zubin Appoo said these changes show a new way of creating and delivering software, with manual coding now less important to the company’s engineering work. “Software development has experienced its most significant shift in decades,” Appoo said, pointing to AI’s role in increasing productivity and speeding up product delivery.
Despite the large job cuts, WiseTech reported strong financial results, with first-half profits beating expectations. The company also announced an interim dividend and confirmed its full-year outlook. News.com.au reported that revenue grew a lot, even though net profit was impacted by costs from the E2open acquisition.
Global Context: AI Reshaping Work
WiseTech’s mass layoffs are some of the largest in Australia directly connected to AI adoption. Reuters described these cuts as part of a global trend of job reductions caused by automation and AI, similar to other changes in the tech industry worldwide.
WiseTech’s shares rose more than 11% after the announcement, showing that investors are confident in the company’s long-term plans, even with the current job cuts. This strong share performance happened as Australia’s main stock index also went up.
Executives and industry experts say that AI tools, which can automate administrative work, complex coding, and other routine tasks, are causing big changes in technology and software companies. WiseTech’s decision shows how companies are focusing on being more flexible and efficient as these changes happen.
Impact Across Roles and Regions
The job cuts affect teams in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. This restructuring shows that while AI can increase productivity, it can also cause major changes in the workforce, especially for jobs that involve repetitive or manual work.
As WiseTech and other tech companies adjust to an AI-focused environment, questions are coming up about retraining and workforce changes. Company leaders and experts say it is important to balance new technology with strategies for supporting employees.
