AI Makes the Coder Obsolete
It is a message that resonates in the logistics technology industry: WiseTech Global, the Australian manufacturer of the widely used freight system CargoWise, will cut around 2,000 jobs. This corresponds to about 30 percent of the approximately 7,000 employees worldwide in 40 countries. CEO Zubin Appoo stated clearly: “Artificial intelligence will permeate the entire company, and traditional approaches to writing and maintaining code will increasingly become obsolete.”
The announcement was made in February 2026 as part of the half-year results, which paradoxically turned out better than expected. The stock rose by 11.1 percent despite the layoffs. Investors apparently see more potential than risk in the AI transformation.
E2open is Particularly Affected
The situation is particularly dramatic at E2open, the U.S. cloud division of WiseTech Global. According to media reports, up to 50 percent of positions could be eliminated there. E2open provides supply chain management software for large shippers and industrial clients, thus operating in a market segment that is being particularly transformed by AI.
The company is also facing a difficult environment: the WiseTech stock is still about 68 percent below its peak value from November 2024, after allegations against founder Richard White triggered an exodus of investors.
A Trend Sweeping Through the Industry
WiseTech is not alone. By the end of February 2026, technology companies worldwide had already cut around 45,000 jobs, of which over 9,200 were explicitly linked to AI. Other logistics software providers are also repositioning themselves. AI is taking over not only programming tasks but is also starting to automate route planning, customs classification, document processing, and risk analysis.
For the freight forwarding industry, this has a concrete consequence: the software systems used to manage, clear, and monitor freight shipments daily are changing rapidly. Those using CargoWise or similar systems today should prepare for significantly more AI integration, bringing both opportunities and the need for training and adaptation.
What This Means for the Logistics Industry
The transformation of logistics software through AI is no longer a future scenario but a present-day reality. WiseTech makes this visible: developers who write standard code today will be replaced by AI tomorrow. What remains are specialized roles such as architects, integrators, domain experts, and users who understand how to operate and evaluate AI-supported systems.