‘It will be you if you don’t...’: Founder’s warning after Jack Dorsey’s Block cuts 4,000 jobs

A young founder warns professionals amid layoffs by Block due to its AI bet.

Jack Dorsey-led fintech firm Block has announced plans to cut nearly 4,000 employees, almost half of its workforce in what the company has framed as a strategic bet on artificial intelligence reshaping labour productivity. The move has triggered a fresh wave of debate online over whether AI is beginning to fundamentally alter the future of jobs.

The layoffs drew heightened attention after a post by a young startup founder, Anubhav, went viral on X, where he described the decision as a turning point for the global workforce. “Jack Dorsey didn’t send an email. He didn’t hold a meeting. He posted a tweet. And 4,000 careers ended before lunch,” he wrote, arguing that the cuts were not driven by losses or a weak economy, but by AI becoming a more attractive alternative to human labour. “AI showed up to work and never asked for a salary,” he added.

Jack Dorsey didn't send an email. He didn't hold a meeting. He posted a tweet. And 4,000 careers ended before lunch. Not because the company lost money. Not because the economy crashed. Because AI showed up to work and never asked for a salary. This is not a warning anymore.… https://t.co/wsML16Jtjl

— Anubhav (@Anubhavhing) February 26, 2026

Framing the layoffs as a warning rather than an isolated event, Anubhav claimed companies are no longer waiting for employees to adapt. “Executives aren’t waiting for you to catch up. They are replacing entire departments right now, quietly, while you scroll LinkedIn and think ‘that won’t be me’,” he said. According to him, the only way to stay relevant is to upskill aggressively and embrace AI-first ways of working.

Not everyone agrees

However, not everyone agreed with his assessment. Responding to the post, one user cautioned against excessive reliance on AI agents, saying, “Humans can’t context switch as well as bots. All these agents and doing 10x in a few days will blow up a month later.” The user argued that AI should be used to improve efficiency, not replace depth of understanding. “Use AI as a tool to reduce your work from eight hours to six hours without losing quality and context and you’re good,” they wrote, calling the idea of shipping serious products without engineering experience “hilarious.”

Another user suggested the layoffs may be more about perception than permanent transformation. “Seems to be an optics move,” the user said, pointing out that companies that have carried out mass layoffs in the past often return to hiring later. “Sad part is, for optics, careers are getting compromised,” the comment added.