Bad hires have wasted Canva’s time for no gain and other business leaders should take a “wartime” attitude to weeding out poor performance, the graphic design company’s co-founder, Cliff Obrecht, says.

The $US26 billion ($39 billion) Canva has expanded to more than 4500 employees around the world as it gears up for a public offering but is still ranking staff on a performance scale that can lead to exits for those on the lowest tier.