Jack Dorsey Addresses Pandemic-Era Overhiring at Block, Sets New Profit Targets

Block expanded its workforce from under 4,000 to over 12,000 during the pandemic; restructuring aims to lift efficiency and achieve $2 million profit per employee.

Summary

Jack Dorsey confirmed that Block’s workforce grew from 3,900 in December 2019 to 12,500 by December 2022 due to pandemic-era overexpansion tied to separate Square and Cash App structures. The company restructured into a unified architecture by mid-2024, targeting a gross profit per employee increase from $500,000 to over $2 million—more than quadrupling pre-pandemic levels.

Terms & Concepts
  • Square: A financial services platform under Block, Inc., offering payment processing for merchants.
  • Cash App: A mobile payment service by Block, Inc., enabling peer-to-peer transactions and Bitcoin purchases.
  • Profit per employee: A performance metric measuring net profit generated by each employee, used to assess operational efficiency.