WiseTech cut 1,700 jobs. Revenue surged 79%. The CEO got death threats. This is the AI playbook now.

WiseTech Global just reported record revenue of $1.4 billion.

Up 79% year-over-year.

Meanwhile, they cut 1,700 jobs — 25% of their entire workforce.

CEO Zubin Appoo told analysts AI "fundamentally changed how we build products, support customers, and work across WiseTech."

He wasn't vague about it. The cuts landed in product development and customer service. The exact functions where AI replaced humans.

The company saved $34 million from its AI transformation program. It's targeting 50% labor cost savings through AI agents across its logistics platform.

The remaining 800 cuts haven't happened yet. No timeline. No targets. Just "we're actively discussing it."

Here's what matters: WiseTech doubled its workforce to 7,000 after acquiring e2open for $2.1 billion in 2025. Then it cut a quarter of them inside a year.

The CEO received personal insults and a handwritten death threat in May.

This is what the AI transition actually looks like. Not a press release about efficiency. A company that grew revenue 79%, cut a quarter of its people, and the person making the calls needed security.

Audit your product development and customer service headcount today. If your team hasn't been evaluated against AI capability in the last 90 days, you're already behind.

SOURCE: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9337843/local-tech-company-defends-ai-job-cuts-as-revenue-soars/
VERIFIED: Canberra Times (Aug 26), Reuters (Feb 24, 2026), Bitget News (Aug 25)
SIGNAL: First major company to publicly tie record revenue growth directly to AI-driven workforce elimination while CEO receives personal threats. This is the template.