Laid off by Block, reunited on Slack: Inside the 3,800-person 'Square Mafia'

• Former Block employees congregate in an unaffiliated Slack channel to share support, find new jobs, and trade memes.
• Block laid off over 4,000 employees on Thursday, almost half of the company's workforce.
• Named "Square Mafia," the Slack channel has existed since 2016.

At 1:13 p.m. PT on Thursday, a member of "Square Mafia" sent a news article to the Slack group's #general channel along with a single word: "Whoa!"

The article detailed sprawling cuts at Jack Dorsey's payment processing company, Block, which had previously rebranded from Square Inc. five years ago. At least 4,000 Block employees were laid off last week, nearly half of the company.

The message received seven middle-finger emoji reactions. The most popular reaction was the Pokémon Psyduck, often used to convey confusion or stress, with 13 emojis.

The channel flooded with messages: sending "big hugs," jokes about similarities to DOGE cuts, and rage over the rising stock price.

"We're gonna need a bigger Slack," one member wrote. Within an hour, at least 24 newly minted former Block employees were approved and joined the channel.

The "Square Mafia" is a watering hole for former Block employees to chat, network, and commiserate. Created in February 2016, the unaffiliated channel houses a decade of Block alums. As of Monday afternoon, there were 3,807 members.

The group is invite-only. Its members aren't only laid-off staffers; anyone who has left Dorsey's company is welcome. After the layoffs, organizers also set up a bot to ask questions and pipe through requests for manual review.

There are generally three rules to Square Mafia membership, which are as stated:

• "You have to leave Square (fine… fine Block), at least once. Yes, that means boomerangs are welcome ????
• You should use your own name once you join. There are almost 4k people here now, nobody knows you by your nickname.
• Let's never have to make a third, ok everyone? ❤️"

In the group's main channel, members offered their support. They shared LinkedIn profiles, offered job referrals, and flagged networking channels like #whoishiring.

Members asked about their 401(k)s, healthcare, and badge returns. One asked for recommendations for a lawyer.

For laid-off employees on an H-1B visa, one member wrote that Friday was their last working day. "We have 60 days to secure a new job/transfer," they wrote. "Let's stay connected and help each other with referrals or leads."

A former member of Square's People team offered to help answer questions and shared a Google Form for those looking for new opportunities.

The culture of "Square Mafia" extends beyond layoffs.

There are dozens of other channels, from those aimed at coffee lovers or fans of "Survivor." There are also channels intended to replicate those found in Block's official Slack, which laid-off employees no longer have access to after their final day, such as #gaming, #books, and #cats.

"We're also trying to keep the community alive with the best of what you loved from the old Slack, like #dank-memes," one member wrote.

Are you a current or former Block employee? Contact the reporter from a non-work email and device at hchandonnet@businessinsider.com, or on Signal at henrychand.30