Layoffs and AI: stay hard to cut, bounce back if it happens

Stage 1 · Lesson 3 of 7

When "AI" is the reason, and when it is the story

What AI is really doing to tech jobs

More and more layoff announcements mention AI. counted AI as a stated reason in about a third of 2026 layoff events, against about 1% in 2024. Sometimes it is real: Salesforce cut its support staff from about 9,000 to about 5,000 as took on more of the work.

But saying "AI" also sounds better to than "we over-hired" or "sales are down". Roger Lee, who runs , has said there is little evidence so far that AI is actually doing the work of the people let go. And TCS said its 2025 cuts came from skill mismatch, not AI.

So read announcements with care: what work disappeared, and what is the company spending on instead?

Common trapbelieving either extreme: that AI is behind every cut, or that it is all an excuse.

A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it

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