Block co-founder Jack Dorsey and the company’s lead independent director, Roelof Botha, have outlined a vision for a future workplace in which artificial intelligence takes over the role traditionally held by middle managers. The two executives shared their thinking in a blog post published on Tuesday, arguing that AI is capable of tracking projects, identifying issues, assigning work, and distributing critical information more quickly than humans. They described Block as being in the early stages of moving toward a model built around this approach.
The post challenges a long-standing assumption about how organisations must function. Dorsey and Botha wrote that they are questioning whether companies need to be structured as hierarchies with humans serving as the primary coordination mechanism. They contend that AI can perform those coordination tasks more efficiently, offering benefits such as a continuous, real-time view of how a product is performing rather than relying on managers to compile reports and make decisions on a delayed basis.
The announcement comes weeks after Block carried out a significant reduction in its workforce. In February, the company cut approximately 40% of its staff, a move Dorsey attributed to the rapid acceleration of AI within the organisation and the need to remain competitive. The layoffs affected around 4,000 employees. In March, some of those who lost their positions were quietly rehired.
Despite the prominent role assigned to AI in the proposed structure, Dorsey and Botha said people would still be responsible for key business and ethical decisions. Under the new model, employees would be reorganised into three distinct roles. The first group, called individual contributors, would be responsible for building and maintaining operating systems. The second group, described as directly responsible individuals, would focus on solving specific problems and would have the freedom to draw on whatever resources they require.
A third category, referred to as player-coaches, would take on some duties associated with traditional management, including mentoring and supporting colleagues. However, these individuals would also continue to write code and build products themselves, distinguishing them from conventional managers who step back from hands-on work. The structure is designed to flatten the organisation while preserving human oversight where it matters most.
Dorsey and Botha argued that while hierarchical structures have proven effective historically, they slow down the flow of information. They wrote that hierarchy and middle management impede information flow, and that in a remote-first company where work is already machine-readable, AI can maintain a continuous picture of what is being built, what is blocked, where resources are allocated, and what is or is not working. The executives framed the shift as one that goes beyond Block itself, suggesting the model could reshape how companies of all kinds operate in the coming years.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
