Employers
Website-building company Squarespace is laying off about 19% of its employees, or roughly 300 of its approximately 1,800 workers, the company confirmed on Monday, Nov. 2. Most of the cuts fall on product and engineering teams.
Squarespace spokesperson Jeff Seedman confirmed the layoffs in a statement to The Verge, which first reported them. “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,” Seedman said. He added that the company is “grateful for the contributions of our departing colleagues” and is providing support to help them through the transition.
What departing employees receive
According to the company, affected employees will receive 16 weeks of base pay and health care benefits into May 2027. Business Insider, citing a companywide memo from Chief Executive Anthony Casalena, reported that the 16 weeks is a minimum, with additional weeks based on tenure, according to a summary of that report published by The Next Web. The memo also said departing employees can keep their company laptops and that workers on employment visas will receive continued support, according to that account.
For workers on visas, the timing of a layoff can matter as much as the severance amount, because immigration status is often tied to employment. The company has not publicly detailed what its visa support includes.
Which teams were hit
Investing.com reported that the layoffs fall mostly on product and engineering. Business Insider’s account of the Casalena memo, as summarized by The Next Web, said the company wants “smaller teams, more player coaches, and a simplified organizational structure.” The phrase “player coaches” generally refers to managers who also do hands-on work rather than only supervising others.
After the memo went out, Casalena addressed remaining staff in a brief livestream that did not allow comments, and a separate all-hands meeting is planned, according to the same account.
The company has not publicly said how the cuts are divided among its offices. Squarespace’s careers site lists New York City, Dublin, Portugal and remote as its locations.
The AI question
Speculation about the cuts first circulated on Blind, an anonymous workplace app, where some users suggested the layoffs were tied to plans to expand investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, Investing.com reported. Squarespace rejected that link. “We would not characterize the restructuring as being linked to plans to increase investment in AI infrastructure,” the company told Investing.com.
The company has promoted AI features in its products. In 2024 it launched Blueprint AI, a tool that builds websites and generates copy such as blog posts and product descriptions, The Verge noted.
Private ownership
The layoffs come about two years after private equity firm Permira took Squarespace private. Permira agreed in May 2024 to buy the company for $6.9 billion; the deal closed that October at a valuation of about $7.2 billion, removing Squarespace from the New York Stock Exchange. Permira declined to comment to Investing.com.
What is not yet known
The company has not said whether any of the reductions will be phased over time or exactly how many positions are in each department. The roughly 300 figure is the company’s approximate number; the final count could differ.
For people affected, the stated terms of at least 16 weeks of base pay and health benefits into May 2027 set the baseline. Workers should confirm their individual tenure-based severance, benefits end date and any visa-related timelines directly with the company in writing.
Sources
- The Verge, “Squarespace is laying off 19 percent of employees,” November 2, 2026. https://www.theverge.com/tech/1024447/squarespace-layoffs-19-percent
- Investing.com, “Exclusive: Squarespace layoffs fall mostly on product and engineering,” November 2, 2026. https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/exclusive-squarespace-layoffs-fall-mostly-on-product-and-engineering-4992553
- The Next Web, “Squarespace lays off 19% of staff, about 300 people,” November 2, 2026. https://thenextweb.com/news/squarespace-layoffs-19-percent-300-jobs
- Squarespace, “Careers,” accessed November 3, 2026. https://www.squarespace.com/about/careers
Featured photo: The Maltz Building at 225 Varick Street in Manhattan, photographed in June 2019 and titled by the photographer as Squarespace's headquarters. Photo: Ajay Suresh, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Cropped from the original.
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