Squarespace to cut about 19% of its workforce, around 300 jobs
The website builder says it is restructuring to simplify operations, according to TechCrunch, as AI tools reshape how websites are made.
Squarespace, the company that helps customers build and host their own websites, is laying off about one-fifth of its workforce, according to TechCrunch. The cuts will affect hundreds of jobs.
Jeff Seedman, a public relations specialist representing Squarespace, confirmed the layoffs to TechCrunch. TechCrunch said The Verge first reported the news.
“"Squarespace is restructuring its organization and reducing its global workforce by approximately 19%, representing around 300 employees. The changes are intended to simplify how we operate, sharpen our priorities and enable the company to move faster as we position Squarespace for its next phase of growth."”Jeff Seedman, public relations specialist representing Squarespace
The cuts come as website building goes through major change. TechCrunch reported that the generative AI boom has transformed the industry over the last few years. So-called "vibe-coding" website builders, which turn simple prompts from users into working front-end designs, have largely upended the business by letting people create sites with much less effort, according to the outlet.
TechCrunch pointed to several examples of that shift. It said rival web host Wix bought Base44 for $80 million last year. Lovable, a similar service, raised a $400 million Series C round in August that valued the company at $13.3 billion. Google also recently launched Stitch, a feature that quickly generates user-interface designs.
Squarespace has been moving into AI as well. TechCrunch reported that the company launched an AI tool called Blueprint in 2024 and recently announced Forma, an upcoming AI-native platform with a waitlist users can join. TechCrunch said an earlier version of its report wrongly stated that Squarespace had not yet launched AI tools, and that the story was later corrected.
The company's recent history also includes a change in ownership. Squarespace was founded in 2004 and went public in 2021 at a $10 billion valuation, according to TechCrunch. The outlet said the company struggled in the following years to attract strong interest from public market investors, and went private again in 2024 through a $7 billion private equity deal.
Several questions remain unanswered. The report does not say which teams, roles or countries the cuts will affect, when they take effect, or what severance employees will receive. Squarespace's statement does not directly link the layoffs to AI or to competition from AI website builders. The report also does not say what the company means by its "next phase of growth" or how Forma fits into those plans.
This story is based on a single report, from TechCrunch.
