What Canva’s layoffs reveal about its AI challenges | Explained

On November 4, 2026, Canva co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins, in a letter, acknowledged this as the “hardest moment in our thirteen-year history” [File] | Photo Credit: VIA REUTERS The story so far: Canva, the Australian tech company best known for making graphic design seem easy, has announced that it is laying off 1,271 people, or about 22% of its workforce. On November 4, 2026, Canva co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins, in a letter, acknowledged this as the “hardest moment in our thirteen-year history” and noted that Canva’s growth had slowed for the first time in a decade.Launched in 2013, Canva now lists over 220 million monthly active users across 190 countries. The platform shot to fame when users treated it as an affordable and fuss-free alternative to graphic design software products like Adobe that catered to professional designers. The application became popular because of its free and tier-based subscription models. Soon, Canva was used by self-taught designers, independent creators, artists, students, and even early professionals. Published - November 05, 2026 12:09 pm IST