"The Forward Party founder and former presidential candidate said AI "will kick millions of white-collar workers to the curb in the next 12 - 18 months" in a post on his Substack on Monday. Yang said that, when a company begins to shrink its workforce, its competitors will follow suit. "It will become a competition because the stock market will reward you if you cut headcount and punish you if you don't," he added."
"In his Substack post, Yang then laid out which workers could be vulnerable: mid-career office workers, middle managers, call center workers, marketers, and coders. The list goes on. "Do you sit at a desk and look at a computer much of the day? Take this very seriously," he wrote. "Millions of workers are about to be given their pink slips.""
"Though this has largely been attributed to economic uncertainty, a few companies have already begun citing AI as a reason they are letting staff go. Pinterest said in January that it expects to lay off 15% of its workforce. A spokesperson for Pinterest said the restructuring was part of the company's "AI-forward strategy." HP said in November that it would cut up to 6,000 jobs by 2028, citing AI initiatives as the reason."
AI is projected to displace millions of white-collar desk workers within the next 12 to 18 months. Jobs centered on computer-based desk work, including mid-career office employees, middle managers, call center staff, marketers, and coders, face high vulnerability. Company layoffs can trigger competitive follow-on cuts as markets reward reduced headcount. Some firms have already cited AI-driven restructuring when announcing reductions, with major January layoffs marking the highest since 2009. Corporate AI strategies and automation initiatives are being presented as direct reasons for workforce reductions and long-term headcount changes.
Read at Business Insider
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