Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has announced a significant restructuring, cutting approximately 12% of its global workforce as it shifts its strategic focus toward artificial intelligence. The move results in the departure of roughly 180 employees from the firm’s previous headcount of 1,500. A company spokesperson confirmed the decision, stating that the exchange is joining a growing list of enterprises integrating AI across their operations to drive efficiency and prioritize resources within key growth sectors, CoinDesk said in a report.
The exchange’s CEO, Kris Marszalek, took to social media to defend the decision, framing the pivot as an existential necessity in the modern technological landscape. In a statement on X, Marszalek warned that companies failing to integrate AI into their core processes are destined to fail and will be left behind by more agile competitors. He emphasized that pairing top-performing human talent with the best available AI tools will allow the company to reach a level of scale and precision that was previously considered impossible.
This technological pivot was foreshadowed earlier this year when Marszalek revealed that Crypto.com invested $70 million to acquire the premium domain ai.com. The acquisition signals a heavy bet on a sector that saw worldwide spending reach nearly $1.5 trillion in 2025. This latest round of layoffs follows a history of workforce adjustments at the firm, including a major 20% reduction in 2023, as the exchange continues to navigate shifting market conditions and internal restructuring efforts.
Crypto.com is not alone in this trend, as the broader crypto and tech industries increasingly cite AI-enabled productivity as a reason for leaner staffing. Block CEO Jack Dorsey recently reduced his company’s 6,000-person workforce by 40%, specifically noting that AI allows smaller teams to operate with greater speed. Similar restructurings have been observed at OKX and Polygon earlier this year, reflecting a wider trend that saw the U.S. technology sector alone cut over 22,000 jobs last year as automation tools became more sophisticated.
