Block employees now bring working prototypes to meetings instead of slide decks, CEO Jack Dorsey revealed on a podcast. This shift, he said, replaces presentations with tangible demos built on real or simulated data, offering more depth and allowing real-time modifications. The move reflects a broader industry trend away from static slides towards interactive demonstrations.

Dorsey linked this prototype focus to efficiency gains enabling significant workforce reductions. In February, Block laid off over 4,000 employees (40% of staff), citing AI-driven improvements as a key reason. This aligns with Dorsey's view that the cost of changing direction is rapidly decreasing.

Other tech leaders are also abandoning slide decks. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas hasn't built a pitch deck since Series A funding, preferring memos and Q&A sessions. Amazon's Jeff Bezos famously banned PowerPoint in 2004, advocating for detailed memos instead. This trend underscores a growing preference for substance over presentation in tech meetings.