WiseTech Global started informing almost 200 local workers last Monday that they would be among 2000 roles slashed under its drawn out redundancy programme. The company announced three months ago that around one third of its global workforce would go, tied to a strategic pivot toward embedding more AI into its products.
The logistics software provider, listed on the ASX, frames the cuts as part of a large scale technology transformation rather than a pure cost cutting exercise. Its valuation, sitting around $12 billion, shows how closely investors are watching the shift.
WiseTech disclosed that its chief executive had received a letter threatening violence, an escalation that alarmed staff and management as tensions climbed. Frustration had already spiked after comments from the company’s executive chairman about being able to build AI bots to replace employees in about 15 minutes.
Union group Professionals Australia, which represents many WiseTech workers, pushed back on broad non-compete clauses contained in redundancy agreements. People familiar with the negotiations say WiseTech agreed to scale back the original terms but kept a targeted restriction blocking staff from joining four competing companies for at least twelve months.
