Canva says no folks will lose their jobs as integrating its prize synthetic intelligence acquisition, Leonardo.AI, into the design platform, refuting media experiences of potential job losses as inaccurate.
The Australia reported that Canva chief working officer and cofounder Cliff Obrecht instructed Leonardo’s 150 North Sydney-based employees in a video name final week that the enterprise was being restructured.
Obrecht reportedly instructed the Leonardo workers that whereas many within the Leonardo workforce would “straight map” to current AI efforts, others had been inspired to have a look at different roles within the enterprise.
Canva’s Head of Company and Inner Communications Lachlan instructed Startup Day by day that the enterprise just isn’t exploring any redundancies and no job losses had been mentioned or communicated to the workforce, saying recommendations in any other case are “categorically false”, taking a swipe at The Australian for failing to test with the corporate previous to publication.
“It’s disappointing that The Australian didn’t search our response earlier than publishing, had they finished so, we’d have unequivocally clarified the details,” he mentioned.
“We supplied a transparent on-the-record assertion, which was not included of their reporting.”
The report got here amid heightened sensibilities round AI and tech jobs after US fintech Block introduced it was slicing 40% of its workforce, 4000 jobs, and Sydney logistics software program platform WiseTech International introduced 2000 coding jobs would go, with each corporations citing AI as the rationale.
Doubling down on AI
Canva mentioned the enterprise was accelerating its deliberate integration of Leonardo “to double down on our AI ambitions” with a small workforce persevering with to work on Leonardo as a standalone product whereas others be a part of the mom ship as a part of 100-plus AI product and analysis groups.
Leonardo remained a standalone enterprise for the previous 18 months since Canva acquired the Sydney generative AI startup in 2024 in a deal value greater than $300 million. Its tech is already built-in into key elements of the Canva product.
“Leonardo has confirmed itself a world chief in picture and video technology, which is foundational to what we’re constructing at scale for Canva’s 265 million customers,” a spokesperson mentioned.
“As a part of this part of the mixing, workforce members throughout Leonardo will transition into new groups throughout Canva.
“That is merely about higher integrating their world-class expertise to work throughout Canva’s broader suite of AI merchandise at even better scale. On the similar time, we’ll proceed investing in Leonardo as a standalone product, with a devoted workforce targeted on serving and rising its current group.”
Final week Obrecht additionally introduced Canva was buying two extra startups, Mango.AI and Cavalry, from the US and UK respectively, in addition to including a “chief algorithms officer” to its C-suite.
Mango.ai is 10-month-old San Francisco advertising and marketing algorithm startup that was nonetheless in stealth mode. Cavalry is UK-based 2D animation platform utilized by movement designers.
The acquisitions take the variety of corporations Canva’s acquired within the final two years to 5, following on from Affinity and Leonardo in 2024, and MagicBrief final 12 months.
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