Autodesk shares rose more than 3% Thursday after the design software maker announced it will cut about 7% of its global workforce, roughly 1,000 jobs. The reductions will primarily affect customer-facing sales teams as the company redirects spending toward its cloud platform and artificial intelligence efforts. Autodesk had about 15,300 employees as of January 2025.

The company framed the restructuring as the final phase of its sales and marketing optimization, aiming to streamline customer engagement and improve sales channels. Stifel analysts noted the move aligns with Autodesk's broader shift toward a new transaction model and increased self-service sales. The brokerage said reinvesting part of the savings should support the company's multi-year operating margin targets.

Autodesk now expects fourth-quarter and full-year billings, revenue, and adjusted earnings to exceed prior forecasts. It estimated pre-tax restructuring charges of $135 million to $160 million, mainly for termination benefits. A portion of the cost savings will be reinvested into cloud and AI initiatives, continuing its move away from traditional channel-led sales toward subscription and usage-based models.