#ai

There’s a lot of buzz lately about using AI tools to dodge getting cut. But is this really happening? If you’re relying on AI tools, shouldn’t you be the one getting replaced?

My AVP took my file and ran it through Ask ATT to give me an action plan. You were already worthless Boomer- your use of technology is embarrassing. It’s the AVPs and up that need to go. I am selling to the customer- what value are you brining?????

Teradata used to pride themselves on work life balance and of caring about employees and families. We have always pushed people hard at least in the teams where I have worked but there was also concern for your well-being. The leadership has changed this culture completely. Now you are never doing enough. Never working enough hours. Never using AI enough. Is this to weed people out?

Classic corp-stack maneuvr.... Print record numbers, invoke AI... Then, purge the meat-layer, and tell the survivors the system is "more agile." The optics are vintage late-capital firmware.

So, silicon gets fed, humans get reclassed as drag. Somewhere a dashboard turned red to green and called it progress...

Has Al increased the probability for layoffs at Oxy?

Just read this…. That is all I’m going to say.

https://nypost.com/2026/05/21/business/jamie-dimon-says-jpmorgan-will-hire-more-ai-braniacs-fewer-bankers/

Not directly connected to Oracle but many companies in the industry are going this way. The world has changed this year…
—-
ZEB EVANS (CEO - ClickUp)

Today we reduced headcount by 22%. The business is the strongest it's ever been. So I think it's important to be direct about what I'm seeing and why.

First, I made this decision and I own it. I did it because the way to operate at the highest level of productivity is changing, and to win the future, ClickUp needs to change with it.

Second, this wasn't about cutting costs. Most savings from this change will flow directly back into the people who stay. We'll be introducing million-dollar salary bands. If you create outsized impact using AI, you'll be paid outside of traditional bands.

Most importantly, I have the deepest gratitude for those affected. We're doing this from a position of strength specifically so we can take care of people properly. Everyone affected receives a package aimed at honoring their contributions and easing the transition.

I only see two options: wait for this to play out gradually in the market or be honest about what I'm seeing and act proactively.

THE 100X ORGANIZATION
The primary change is that we're restructuring around what I call 100x org. The goal is 100x output. The roles required to build at the highest level are fundamentally different than they were a year ago.

Incremental improvements to existing systems won't get us there. We need new ones. That means creating enough disruption to rebuild rather than iterate on what's already broken.

The common narrative is that AI makes everyone more productive. It doesn't. Many of the workflows of today, if left unchanged, create bottlenecks in AI systems.

These roles will evolve. But waiting for that to happen naturally means falling behind now.

The 100x org is actually heavily dependent on people - infinitely more than today. This is only possible with 10x people that have embraced and adopted new ways of working.

THE BUILDERS, AGENT MANAGERS, AND FRONT-LINERS

— THE BUILDERS: 10X ENGINEERS
I don't think most companies have internalized what's actually happening with AI in engineering. The common narrative is that AI makes all engineers more productive. That may be true in isolation, but at an organization level - that is the farthest thing from reality.

Here's what we've validated recently at ClickUp: the great engineers, the ones who can orchestrate, architect, and review, are becoming 100x engineers. They're not writing code. They're directing agents that write code. The skill is judgment.

AI makes the best engineers wildly more productive, and everyone else using AI slows these engineers down.
Think about it - the bottlenecks are (1) orchestration - telling AI what to do, and (2) reviewing - what AI did. Everything is leapfrogged and no longer needed.
So who do you want orchestrating and reviewing code?

And how do you want your best engineers to spend their time?

If your best engineers are spending time reviewing other people's code, then this is inherently an inefficient bottleneck. These engineers can review their agent's code much faster than reviewing human code.

The new world is about enabling your 10x engineers to become 100x.

The wrong strategy is to push every engineer to use infinite tokens. Companies doing this are celebrating 500% more pull requests. But customer outcomes don't match the volume of code being generated.

I call this the great reckoning of AI coding, and every company will face this soon if not already.

More code is just another bottleneck to the best engineers, and ultimately to your company's impact as well.

— THE BUILDERS: 10X PRODUCT MANAGERS
Product management and design roles are merging.

Designers that have customer focus, become more like product managers.

And product managers that have intuition for UX become more like designers.

The bottleneck of user research is gone. It takes us just one mention of an agent to kickoff research and analyze results.

The bottleneck of product design iteration is also gone. The product builder iterates on their own, along with agents and skills that ensure alignment with quality and strategy.

Also controversial today - I believe that the wrong strategy is to have your PMs shipping code - that just introduces another bottleneck that the best engineers will waste their time on.

To be clear, PMs should be coding but they should do this in a playground to iterate, validate, and scope. That code should not go to production.

Everything outside of managing systems, orchestrating AI, and reviewing output becomes a bottleneck.
That's why the other roles that are critical along with these are the systems managers (to reduce bottlenecks) along with a bottleneck you can't replace - customer meeting time.

— THE SYSTEM MANAGERS
Ironically, the people that automate their jobs with AI will always have a job. They become owners of the AI systems - agent managers. We have many examples of these people at ClickUp.

The underlying systems in which we operate are absolutely critical to get right. I think most companies are delusional to think they can iterate on existing systems and compete in this new world.

You must create enough disruption so that old systems are deprecated entirely. If there's any definition for 'AI native' that's what it is.

— THE FRONT-LINERS
In a world that will become saturated with AI communication, the human touch will matter more than anything to customers.

This is a bottleneck that you shouldn't replace - even when agents are high enough quality to do video meetings.

One-on-one meeting time with customers is something that shouldn't be automated. The systems around the meetings should be - so that front-liners spend nearly 100% of their time with customers.

REWARDING 100X IMPACT
In a world where companies are able to do so much more with less, where does that excess money go?
In our case, much of the savings in this new operating model will flow directly back to those that enabled it.

We must reward people that create productivity accordingly. This aligns incentives on both sides. Plus, in a world where your best people create 100x impact, you can't afford to lose them.

You should aim to retain these employees for decades. The context they have and their ability to efficiently orchestrate and review will be nearly impossible to replace.

Compensation bands of today should be thrown out the door. We're introducing $1 million cash/year salary bands with a path available to nearly everyone in the company if they produce 100x impact by creating or managing AI systems.

THE FUTURE
Nearly every company will make changes like these. The ones that do it proactively will define what comes next.

The future is not fewer people. It's different work, new roles, and better rewards for those who embrace it. We're already seeing entirely new roles emerge, like Agent Managers, that didn't exist a year ago.

ClickUp is positioning to lead this shift, not just internally, but for our customers too. I've never been more certain about where we're headed.

https://x.com/dj_curfew/status/2057522382315929802

Everyone is watching the layoffs but only some are paying attention to the real issue -hiring has slowed dramatically...

The headlines make it sound like AI is eliminating jobs overnight. The actual labor data tells a more tricky story. Layoffs are still relatively close to pre-pandemic norms. What has changed is that companies are hiring less aggressively, which makes it much harder for people entering the market, changing jobs, or recovering from layoffs.

There is also a growing amount of what even industry leaders are calling “AI washing” - companies attributing cuts to AI when the underlying causes may include overhiring, cost pressure, restructuring, or shareholder expectations.

That does not mean AI is not changing work. It clearly is. But the broader employment picture right now looks more like a low-hire, low-fire environment than a mass AI replacement event.

The practical takeaway for companies and employees is probably this: focus less on the headline layoffs and more on adaptability, skill alignment, and where actual hiring demand still exists.

Source: Washington Post article on the current labor market and AI-related layoffs.
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/what-layoffs-hide-about-the-real-problem-with-the-job-market-105409943.html

Comment on how you feel being isolated, while others wait their turn for next round. This happens every round, laid off employees dropped off the bus, while ELT preaches Cisco impressive leadership, AI prowess and caring for employees.

Given recent townhall. The idea of shifting from engineers and managers to AI Builders as a blanket term to cover both engineering and managers as one. How are others feeling about this? Shifting team sizes to teams of 2-4 with a goal of trying to get code to production in 5 days. Does anyone else think it’s problematic? Team size changes meaning more layoffs to come? Anyone feeling as if there is a big disconnect from what upper management envisions and what goes on a day to day? Do we see quality control dropping and heavier workloads that will be “solved” because of AI? Anyone feeling let down by leadership?

Acrisure is laying off 2,250 employees. The layoffs reduce the company's workforce by 11%. CEO Greg Williams announced the cuts in a letter to employees. The decision is driven by advancements in artificial intelligence. Layoffs began Wednesday and will continue into next year.

https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/acrisure-to-cut-2-250-jobs-amid-rise-in-artificial-intelligence

Cisco announced record revenue figures. The technology company also cut approximately 4,000 jobs on the same day. This decision quickly sparked public backlash. Critics argue the move prioritizes shareholders over workers. The timing raises concerns about AI-driven restructuring.

https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/cisco-posts-record-revenue-4-214000754.html

Cisco | CSCO

Intuit plans to eliminate approximately 3,000 jobs. This represents about 17% of its total workforce. The company is undergoing a broad restructuring effort. This effort aims to reduce complexity and accelerate AI integration. Two office locations, Reno and Woodland Hills, are also slated to close.

https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/intuit-layoffs-3-000-jobs-142453143.html

Acrisure is laying off 2,250 employees. This reduction represents 11% of its total workforce. The layoffs will begin now and continue in phases into 2027. These changes primarily impact U.S.-based operations. The company cites advances in technology, AI, and digital platforms as reasons.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/source-acrisure-announces-2250-layoffs-totaling-11-of-workforce-citing-technology-al-digital-platforms/69-339a1b30-018e-4c2e-885a-c0a82e7583f7

Intuit announced plans to lay off 17% of its global workforce. Approximately 3,000 employees are impacted by this decision. The company aims to accelerate AI integration and streamline operations. Intuit is also closing key hubs in Reno, Nevada, and Woodland Hills, California. Impacted workers will receive a severance package including 16 weeks of pay.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91545602/intuit-layoffs-today-stock-down-job-cuts-citing-ai

For all meta users who need support! Know all your CS tickets are being routes to AI. We are not looking at them only tagging them.

Some managers have less than 5 reports
AI is barely being used, if at all

Meanwhile companies that will survive are flattening the orgs and making managers have at least ten reports and AI is used everywhere

We are so far behind it's worrying

Besides people in positions considered management are very clueless.I mean this is contractor type ,engineering type,Actual managers.First all you need to see on here is employees who barely go to office or interact with anyone asking if there’s gonna be a strike still.Then you go in asking actually direct managers at all levels questions but they cannot answer anything.Then there is the group that won’t answer or make any decisions at all because they are either clueless or scared.My God company is such a disaster.Bad cell coverage losing customers left and right in all lines of business.I am glad I am at the end of it all ,I am also glad that I was never management as bad as the Union contracts may get over the years at least I can say as associates we have a clue starting to think the people in field are only ones floating the company anymore.Just rif all nonunion employees at this point let AI be my managers

OPED in today's WSJ. I think Verizon will likely see another big round of layoffs in the fall. SMH.

Algi Febri Sugita/Zuma Press

Two weeks ago I laid off more than 20% of my workforce. I didn’t do it because Cloudflare is struggling. We posted record revenue growth, have strong free cash flow and are adding an unprecedented number of customers around the world. I did it because business is changing, and to win the future, Cloudflare needs to change with it.

We haven’t found another example in U.S. business history of a public company growing at more than 30% that laid off more than 20% of its workforce. Yet what we did is likely going to become the norm over the next year. This is a story about artificial intelligence, but executives and commentators are misunderstanding how it will disrupt business and who will be affected.

To understand the issue, I went back to a book published in 1954, 20 years before I was born: Peter Drucker’s “The Practice of Management.” Drucker explores the different roles inside every business, which I would categorize as builders, sellers and measurers.

Builders create products. Sellers sell those products. Measurers do everything else: internal audit, revenue recognition, finance, legal, compliance, middle management, operations and on and on.

Contrary to what some analysts predict, builders aren’t going anywhere. If an engineer on my team can now be 10 times as productive, I’m going to hire as many as I can find.

Sellers, too, are safe from extinction. Humans still control budgets, and they want to buy from people who take the time to understand their needs, build trust and fix whatever goes wrong.

Measurers are also critical to a business, but different from the other two. The best are hard to find. They work tirelessly behind the scenes, don’t seek the recognition of a front-of-house role, and ideally have a perspective independent from the rest of the organization. Drucker argues that measuring business is important, but customers are earned through building and selling. The best businesses would maximize investment in those two functions.

AI isn’t coming for builders or sellers, but it is coming for measurers. Tireless, independent, efficient and available, AI systems can now measure an organization with a level of objective detail and precision that was previously impossible even for the best employees.

For Cloudflare, internal audit previously picked a handful of business risk areas to scrutinize each quarter. Now we’re moving to a system in which every business risk is audited continuously. We’re closing our books faster. We’re making fewer mistakes and catching the ones we do more reliably. And, as CEO, I’ve never had better tools to measure exactly how the business is performing, including identifying our rising stars.

The vast majority of those we laid off last week were measurers. We cut middle managers across the organization because AI allows us to have more direct reports per manager while still measuring and mentoring our teams effectively. We consolidated our operations functions into a single group that can support teams across the business, using AI to gain specific expertise when needed. We significantly reduced our marketing team, which, like in most companies, was teeming with measurers. Across our finance team, we found opportunities to consolidate and automate.

But the layoff wasn’t about reducing headcount. In fact, we have a record number of open positions. In coming years I expect our number of employees will continue to grow. With fewer people needed for measuring, we can now invest more in people in the areas that drive growth.

We received almost a million applicants for 1,111 paid internships this summer. The interns we hired are extremely qualified and AI-native. They’re all builders or sellers, and we expect that the majority will get full-time offers.

They’re the next generation who will invent ways to drive our business. With AI we can now better measure their contributions and accurately identify those who will be tomorrow’s leaders. AI isn’t the harbinger of bleak youth unemployment—it is quite the opposite.

AI won’t ki-l all jobs. But it will change every business. Ultimately, it will prove Drucker right. AI will allow us to better measure our organizations so the humans on our teams can focus on where they create and capture value: building and selling.

Mr. Prince is CEO of Cloudflare.

WebLogic 26? Fusion Middleware 27? Who is left to build any of this? Will it all just be AI slop? https://blogs.oracle.com/fusionmiddlewaresupport/oracle-fusion-middleware-statement-of-direction-is-now-available

Call out your bad leaders

https://qz.com/meta-layoffs-8000-jobs-ai-restructuring-052026

6 in 10 workers say they have a toxic boss, study finds
Employees say poor leadership is driving stress, job changes, and even financial loss, while companies invest more in AI than in people.

Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/91534390/6-in-10-workers-say-they-have-a-toxic-boss-study-finds

BILL Holdings is cutting its workforce by up to 30%. This strategy aims to make the company leaner. The company also plans to leverage AI for increased efficiency. BILL Holdings faces headwinds from declining interest rates and SaaS sector pressures. Its stock has seen a roughly 20% decline year-to-date.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4906834-bill-holdings-ramping-profitability-with-new-layoffs

The cuts amount to about 10% of the company's workforce.
Singapore-based workers were the first to learn their fate, with layoff emails arriving at 4 a.m. local time, according to Bloomberg. Employees in the U.K. and the U.S. were slated to be informed as their own mornings began. Meta asked North American employees to work from home Wednesday

New just in
Ty announced a giant reorg/struct after the recent LR's via Vidcast
Of course, Cisco is going all in on AI

Significant changes to Collab
How many years do you think we have until everyone is replaced with AI ?

During the Q2 Town Hall, a question was asked about our strategy to replace commodity IT roles with external partners.

The answer was that we're moving to more of a factory model of labor, and we're going to reduce the need to have specialized 3M knowledge.

Between that and the other half of the town hall being about how we need to scale up our use of AI, it's clear that they're looking to reduce headcount.

As a meta mate I heard about the 7k employees being moved to MSL to work on AI initiatives.

Few questions:
How can I volunteer to be moved, or was that already randomly determined?

What are they actually doing there? Anything cutting edge?

Will they the most safe from the next few layoffs since they just got re orged?

Anything good coming from VBG products that will generate good sales? (Or any current products showing potential?)

Seems like AT&T and T-Mo are putting out products - what do we have that's got potential?

Hard to tell if the AI Connect stuff is real.

Why in the world is Gemini AI being pushed for everything...from scripting to positioning statements to call analysis to coaching. Just stop already.

• Meta to transfer 7,000 staff to AI initiatives, eliminate managers
• Layoffs and transfers affect about 20% of staff, Meta says
• Employee backlash includes petition against mouse-tracking tech, now over 1,000 signatures

https://www.reuters.com/world/meta-lays-out-plans-may-20-layoffs-restructuring-internal-document-says-2026-05-18/

The New York Fed reports AI is not the main cause of the current hiring slowdown. Elevated interest rates and past overhiring play a major role. The Fed's analysis shows broad labor weakness, not automation, explains the trend. Most firms adopting AI are retraining workers, not initiating layoffs. Startups should focus on capital costs and macroeconomic pressures over AI fears.

https://startupfortune.com/new-york-fed-data-says-ai-is-not-driving-the-hiring-slowdown/

General Motors recently laid off 500 to 600 employees. These job cuts primarily affected information technology roles. Affected employees were largely located in Austin, Texas, and Warren, Michigan. Artificial intelligence played a role in the company's decision. GM offered severance packages and career support to the impacted workers.

Austin

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/laid-off-gm-employees-tell-of-ominous-email-severance-and-role-of-ai/ar-AA231HLA?cvid=6a0466f468f947e78a1f45a3db8de24d&ocid=hpmsn

Innovaccer has laid off staff members. The healthcare technology company is increasing its artificial intelligence efforts. Innovaccer plans to apply its automation principles internally. The company recently allocated $250 million for AI development. This funding supports small language models on its Gravity platform.

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/health-tech/mh-innovaccer-layoffs-ai-tools/

Does anyone have a general idea when they think AI will start taking over work/employees jobs. the more and more they talk about I feel its around the corner...like in 2 years tops.

Mass layoffs continue to impact Silicon Valley tech workers. Artificial intelligence is driving these job cuts and reshaping the industry. Many displaced employees struggle to find new roles despite extensive experience. Companies are now highly selective, often demanding specific AI skills. Workers are adapting by upskilling, networking, or exploring new career paths.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-05-19/ai-layoffs-jobless-tech-workers-silicon-valley

https://youtu.be/TZmR2BuCY0Y

One IT department just announced last week it will be moving to AI SDLC. This means developers will basically just be 'reviewing' AI agentic code instead of writing.

What do you all think about this? Will Vanguard be doing layoffs/stealthy layoffs more often over the coming months?

In my opinion, the writing is on the wall and it has been getting more clear across the organization for a handful of years now.

The online gambling industry is experiencing widespread layoffs. Penn Entertainment recently cut over 70 jobs in its interactive division. Gambling.com Group also laid off approximately a quarter of its employees. These reductions reflect a shift towards efficiency and AI adoption. Industry growth is slowing, forcing companies to streamline operations.

https://www.gamblingnews.com/news/betting-firms-cut-jobs-as-industry-growth-stalls/

Crypto exchange Kraken recently laid off approximately 150 employees. The company cited increased efficiencies from deploying artificial intelligence. These staff reductions could delay its planned US initial public offering. Kraken now reportedly aims for a public debut in 2027. Other crypto firms also cut jobs this year, often citing AI use.

https://www.tradingview.com/news/cointelegraph:b71f2d6f4094b:0-kraken-cuts-150-staff-amid-ai-efficiencies-potentially-delaying-ipo-report/