Tension over the logistics software group’s plan to cut 2000 roles has been simmering for months, fuelled by outspoken comments from its founder about replacing staff with artificial intelligence. Anger inside the company is spilling into open conflict between management and employees.
WiseTech started implementing its Australian redundancies on Monday, targeting around 2000 positions or roughly 30% of its local workforce, after beginning lay-offs in Mexico and South Korea last week. The company had first flagged the cuts and wider restructure in February, but employees say limited communication about the changes has deepened mistrust.
An email sent to staff on Sunday outlined that the threat, allegedly made by an Australian employee, contained personal details and offensive references to the chief executive’s family. Management acknowledges staff anxiety around the overhaul and points to several serious internal incidents in recent weeks as evidence of rising risk.
Internal unease surged after public remarks by the chief executive in February that the era of manually writing code is effectively over and that artificial intelligence will drive the next wave of business productivity. The founder and executive chair sharpened that message, arguing that AI agents can match human performance while never sleeping, never complaining, never asking for a pay rise and working around the clock.
Those comments, combined with the scale of the restructuring, convinced some employees that human roles were being deliberately engineered out of the business. Security at WiseTech’s Alexandria headquarters in Sydney has been tightened in response to the threat and the growing backlash.
WiseTech’s saga shows how rapidly enthusiasm for AI-powered efficiency can collide with workplace fear when thousands of jobs are on the line. The company positions automation as a necessary step to stay competitive in global logistics software, yet the way that message is delivered is intensifying distrust.
Staff reaction shows that talking up tireless AI agents alongside sweeping redundancies is an explosive mix in any organisation. WiseTech now faces the problem of pushing ahead with its automation strategy while restoring a basic sense of safety and trust inside its own offices.
