Exclusive: Block’s CFO explains the AI leaps over 18 months that led to the decision to slash nearly half its workforce

Block's CFO explains that AI advancements over 18 months, including their custom LLM 'goose,' enabled the company to slash nearly half its workforce. The AI tools have given leadership confidence that smaller teams can now handle significant workloads previously requiring larger staff.

• →Block developed a custom LLM called 'goose' that significantly improved operational efficiency.
• →The company reduced its workforce by nearly 50% based on AI-driven productivity gains.
• →Leadership believes smaller AI-enhanced teams can handle 'really meaningful bodies of work.'
• →The workforce reduction decision was based on 18 months of AI implementation and testing.
• →This represents a major corporate restructuring driven by AI automation capabilities.