Early price note: The share price and intraday metrics below reflect trading at the time of writing and can move quickly during the session.
WiseTech Stock (WTC.AX) surged around 10% to the A$47 area after the logistics software heavyweight laid out a sweeping workforce reset tied directly to an aggressive AI overhaul. The company said it expects to remove roughly 2,000 roles across FY26 and into FY27, a cut that equates to close to one-third of its roughly 7,000-person workforce. The market reaction was unmistakable: traders treated the plan as a profit-and-productivity pivot, not a panic move.
The rally also carried a broader message for listed software. In a market where investors have been punishing incumbents over fears that AI coding tools can compress development cycles and lower barriers for challengers, WiseTech positioned itself as a company leaning into the shift. Chief executive Zubin Appoo framed AI as a structural change to the way software is built and maintained, and the company is now reshaping teams around that assumption.
WTC.AX stock snapshot: Shares traded around A$47.3–A$47.6 after opening near A$46.8, versus a prior close near A$42.99. The day’s range printed roughly A$43.42 to A$47.60. The 52-week range sat near A$40.59 to A$121.31. Volume ran about 2.88M shares versus a 3-month average near 1.25M. Market cap hovered around A$15.9B with a P/E around 56 and beta near 1.09. A forward dividend line showed about A$0.23 for roughly 0.54% yield.
AI overhaul meets a hard reset on headcount
The job cuts are expected to roll out in phases, starting with product and development and customer service. WiseTech has signaled that some teams could face headcount reductions of up to 50%, including within the recently acquired e2open operations. The message from management is that AI will increasingly handle routine work across software delivery and internal operations, allowing the company to operate with a structurally lower cost base while pushing more output through fewer people.
For investors, that narrative can be compelling because it links cost discipline to speed. If AI tools lift productivity, WiseTech can release features faster, automate more of the workflow inside CargoWise, and reduce manual overhead across implementation and support. The risk is equally obvious: a reduction of this size can stress customer service response times, slow rollouts, or dilute product quality if the transition is messy.
Results show headline growth, mixed profit optics
The workforce plan landed alongside half-year numbers that underline a business in transition. WiseTech reported total revenue of about US$672.0 million, up 76% year over year, with that headline lift boosted by the consolidation of e2open. Organic revenue growth, however, was far more modest at about 7%, a detail the market will continue to watch as the company absorbs acquisitions and resets operating rhythms.
CargoWise revenue came in around US$372.4 million, up 12%, with organic CargoWise growth called at about 9%. On profitability, reported EBITDA was about US$252.1 million, up 31%, while the reported EBITDA margin stepped down to around 38%, reflecting consolidation and various costs tied to restructuring and M&A activity. Organic EBITDA was about US$208.4 million, up roughly 7%, with an organic margin around 51%.
The cleanest explanation for the mixed profit picture sits in the bottom line split. Statutory NPAT was about US$68.1 million, down 36%, as e2open integration, amortisation and interest expenses weighed. Underlying NPAT was about US$114.5 million, up about 2%, giving bulls a number they can point to when arguing the base business is still performing.
e2open integration and the margin argument
WiseTech’s e2open deal expanded its footprint, but it also brought integration complexity and financing costs that have been showing up in statutory results. Management has highlighted progress on efficiencies, including the achievement of an e2open cost synergy target of US$50 million annualised run-rate savings, reached earlier than planned. For the stock, the wager is that integration noise fades while a leaner operating model and a deeper product suite combine to lift margins over the next couple of years.
WiseTech’s appeal to the market is its embedded position in global logistics workflows. CargoWise sits inside regulated, high-friction processes where reliability matters and switching can be expensive. That positioning can be an advantage in an AI-heavy world, because automation value is amplified when the system-of-record is deeply integrated and supported by trusted data and workflow rules.
What investors are tracking next
After a double-digit pop, the next phase for WTC.AX is less about the headline “AI” narrative and more about proof. Investors will be watching whether organic growth can regain momentum, whether customer experience holds up through a large support and development reshuffle, and whether productivity gains become visible in margins and cash generation.
WiseTech also reaffirmed its FY26 outlook in its announcement materials, reinforcing the view that management expects to execute through the transition. The market will likely keep pricing WTC.AX off two moving pieces: confidence that the business can do more with less, and evidence that the product remains sticky while the company reshapes the workforce behind it.
For readers who want to review the company’s disclosures directly, WiseTech’s investor page hosts its official ASX announcements.
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