Hannah Wyman

@jack @blocks How many St. Louis-based workers will be affected by these layoffs?

we're making @blocks smaller today. here's my note to the company. #### today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. that means over 4,000 of you are being asked to leave or entering into consultation. i'll be straight about what's happening, why, and what it means for everyone. first off, if you're one of the people affected, you'll receive your salary for 20 weeks + 1 week per year of tenure, equity vested through the end of may, 6 months of health care, your corporate devices, and $5,000 to put toward whatever you need to help you in this transition (if you’re outside the U.S. you’ll receive similar support but exact details are going to vary based on local requirements). i want you to know that before anything else. everyone will be notified today, whether you're being asked to leave, entering consultation, or asked to stay. we're not making this decision because we're in trouble. our business is strong. gross profit continues to grow, we continue to serve more and more customers, and profitability is improving. but something has changed. we're already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company. and that's accelerating rapidly. i had two options: cut gradually over months or years as this shift plays out, or be honest about where we are and act on it now. i chose the latter. repeated rounds of cuts are destructive to morale, to focus, and to the trust that customers and shareholders place in our ability to lead. i'd rather take a hard, clear action now and build from a position we believe in than manage a slow reduction of people toward the same outcome. a smaller company also gives us the space to grow our business the right way, on our own terms, instead of constantly reacting to market pressures. a decision at this scale carries risk. but so does standing still. we've done a full review to determine the roles and people we require to reliably grow the business from here, and we've pressure-tested those decisions from multiple angles. i accept that we may have gotten some of them wrong, and we've built in flexibility to account for that, and do the right thing for our customers. we're not going to just disappear people from slack and email and pretend they were never here. communication channels will stay open through thursday evening (pacific) so everyone can say goodbye properly, and share whatever you wish. i'll also be hosting a live video session to thank everyone at 3:35pm pacific. i know doing it this way might feel awkward. i'd rather it feel awkward and human than efficient and cold. to those of you leaving…i’m grateful for you, and i’m sorry to put you through this. you built what this company is today. that's a fact that i'll honor forever. this decision is not a reflection of what you contributed. you will be a great contributor to any organization going forward. to those staying…i made this decision, and i'll own it. what i'm asking of you is to build with me. we're going to build this company with intelligence at the core of everything we do. how we work, how we create, how we serve our customers. our customers will feel this shift too, and we're going to help them navigate it: towards a future where they can build their own features directly, composed of our capabilities and served through our interfaces. that's what i'm focused on now. expect a note from me tomorrow. jack

City Paper was a home for me and many oddballs, fostered some of the greatest creative minds in town, and filled a hole in coverage that no other pub will ever replace. this is so sad. the Blocks continue their legacy of trying to kill journalism in Pittsburgh. shame on them.

BREAKING: We did win! Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @PittsburghPG to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for for 3+ years.

We went to @PittsburghPG publisher John Block’s house yesterday and we were NOT alone. The Block Communications Inc. co-owner, who’s on the record wanting to fire his own lawyers, however, chose to hide from his workers, Pittsburgh & our @CWAUnion family. unionprogress.com/2025/08/13/fel…

A St. Louis fixture that pre-dates the #Cardinals joining the National League -- by four years! -- is closing, and the people and jobs who have made the Post-Dispatch possible and its history so strong are leaving. Story from @Hannah_SWyman: stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

BREAKING: The @NLRB has filed to enjoin the @PittsburghPG to stop its years of breaking federal labor law. This could’ve been avoided by the PG bargaining in good faith. We’ve struck for 2+ years to restore our contract & get decent health care. This injunction would grant that.

ooo the past few days so I could return to the commonwealth & stare wistfully off into my favorite great lake

🍫🍫🍫

American Freight stores to close, including four in St. Louis region stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

Former Rams player named St. Louis Boys & Girls Club chief stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

Cardinals sign deal with FanDuel Sports Network stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

PLAYING GAMES: In the great tradition of strike publications, we offer our tech-worker version. guild-build.netlify.app Now you can play and not be a scab. We also want to thank the multitude of @nytimes subscribers who have stopped playing and honored our digital picket line.

Soulard clothing manufacturer sued for not paying partner stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

Emerson wants to buy the rest of automation co. AspenTech stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

Co-owner 'blindsided' by Missouri Baking Co. suit, wants to keep Hill bakery open stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

One owner of Missouri Baking Co. seeks to close the bakery stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

Congrats to Anchovy Books for their 1st weekend of business! stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

St. Louis-area business openings and closings in October stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

Missouri judge dismisses Build-A-Bear's case against Squishmallows stltoday.com/news/local/bus…

@petersirianni personally, I don't think the food is good and it annoys me that it's on ever blog/listicle for "best brunch places in pgh"

@Hannah_SWyman what's the speckled egg lore i'm missing?

I would never in good conscience recommend little Italy days or the speckled egg to anyone in my life