{"id":869177,"date":"2026-08-26T15:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/869177\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T15:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T15:26:17","slug":"wisetech-logistics-software-company-signals-more-ai-job-losses-are-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/869177\/","title":{"rendered":"WiseTech: Logistics software company signals more AI job losses are coming"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"David Swan\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"64\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b3a5e27b67bafef557dc9d266c430580bca7aae2.png\"  width=\"64\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"article-datetime\" class=\"sc-5cbbddda-5 hxoHkT\">August 26, 2026 \u2014 3:37pm<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>AAA<\/p>\n<p>WiseTech Global will cut more jobs as artificial intelligence takes over more of its work, chief executive Zubin Appoo has flagged, and he says the cuts will not stop when the current program ends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can never say that we\u2019re done,\u201d Appoo said on Wednesday, hours after the embattled logistics software company posted an 11 per cent fall in annual profit and its shares dropped more than 7 per cent.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"WiseTech founder and executive chairman Richard White and WiseTech chief executive Zubin Appoo.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672e4e622f5abe6d8cf49d9b9b92086805ef837e.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>WiseTech founder and executive chairman Richard White and WiseTech chief executive Zubin Appoo.WiseTech<\/p>\n<p>About 1200 of the <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/technology\/ai-to-blame-as-wisetech-cuts-2000-jobs-20260225-p5o5a2.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2000 roles announced in February<\/a> have gone. Appoo said most of the rest would come from exiting large parts of the professional services arm of e2open, the US company WiseTech bought last year for $US3.2 billion, and shifting that work to partner firms.<\/p>\n<p>Further reductions would be routine rather than another large program, he said, but the company would keep testing what AI could absorb.<\/p>\n<p>The cuts have been hard on the workforce. Appoo said it was a difficult transformation but the right thing to do, and that WiseTech had given staff training and tools to use AI whether they kept their jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Appoo also defended founder Richard White, the company\u2019s billionaire founder who remains an executive director and chief innovation officer while under investigation by the <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/wisetech-boss-probed-over-sex-trafficking-claims-20260621-p608q7.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Australian Federal Police<\/a> and the <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/business\/companies\/corporate-watchdog-launches-investigation-into-billionaire-richard-white-s-share-trading-20250416-p5lsau.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">corporate regulator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"WiseTech founder Richard White.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e17ba553c647e65f321afab90cea830e71e46407.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>WiseTech founder Richard White.Bloomberg<\/p>\n<p>Asked what he would say to shareholders who blame White for the share price, Appoo said the founder was highly engaged and brought 32 years of history with the company and the industry. He cited White\u2019s work on VerifyWise, a new compliance product. \u201cThe value that he adds there is important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The AFP is investigating White over allegations <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/national\/wisetech-boss-probed-over-sex-trafficking-claims-20260621-p608q7.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">first reported by this masthead<\/a> that he coerced a former WiseTech cleaner into a sexual relationship and provided false information to secure her a visa. He denies the claims.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/technology\/wisetech-raided-by-competition-watchdog-smashing-shares-20260819-p60pqy.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"WiseTech founder Richard White.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/586e87cc31083a951e37b0f0dcfa59150435c735.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is separately examining more than $200 million in share trades he made during a company blackout period. The company has previously said White obtained independent legal advice before undertaking the trades.<\/p>\n<p>Appoo said the investigations had not been a distraction and that the team had stayed focused on execution.<\/p>\n<p>WiseTech\u2019s results showed net profit fell to $US178.7 million for the year to June 30. Revenue jumped 79 per cent to $US1.4 billion, almost all of it from e2open. Operating expenses rose 92 per cent.<\/p>\n<p>The CargoWise platform, the engine of the business, grew 11 per cent. The company had guided to 14 to 21 per cent.<\/p>\n<p>Appoo said nothing had gone wrong. He blamed refinements made after the \u201cvalue packs\u201d pricing model went to 95 per cent of customers in December \u2013 a change that moved them off bespoke deals onto public pricing.<\/p>\n<p>Josh Gilbert, lead analyst for the Asia-Pacific at eToro, said WiseTech was proving AI could take costs out of a business, but finding the next leg of growth was much harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cZubin Appoo is running a leaner business, but rebuilding confidence and getting this business back to its best is a tough ask,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The result landed a week after WiseTech <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/technology\/wisetech-raided-by-competition-watchdog-smashing-shares-20260819-p60pqy.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">disclosed that the competition watchdog had executed a search warrant<\/a> as part of an investigation into alleged breaches of competition law.<\/p>\n<p>Appoo said it was \u201cvery early days\u201d and referred further questions to the ASX announcement.<\/p>\n<p>The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/newsletter-signup?newsletter=business-briefing&amp;utm_source=EditorialArticle&amp;utm_medium=ArticleText&amp;utm_campaign=Newsletters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"David Swan\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765876452_771_b3a5e27b67bafef557dc9d266c430580bca7aae2.png\"  width=\"40\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-2 jcGta-D\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/by\/david-swan-p53741\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Swan<\/a> is the technology editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously technology editor for The Australian newspaper.Connect via <a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-5 czsZcI\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/swan_legend?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">X<\/a> or <a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-5 czsZcI\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/technology\/mailto:david.swan@nine.com.au\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 26, 2026 \u2014 3:37pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":869178,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":["post-869177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=869177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/869178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=869177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=869177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=869177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}