A major financial technology (fintech) company has laid off thousands of employees, citing advances in artificial intelligence (AI) that it says are changing how businesses operate. The sweeping round of layoffs at Block, the company behind fintech products Square, Cash App and Afterpay, is sharpening fears that AI could soon reshape—and shrink—workforces across corporate America. Newsweek contacted Block via email for comment outside of regular working hours. Years of rapid investment in AI