Most bosses think the axe is swinging. A new survey says they aren’t just expecting AI layoffs. They are planning them.
Mercer asked 12,00 people. Managers, HR folks, grunt workers. The answer from the top was terrifyingly uniform.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
99% of execs. Just one percent didn’t see the writing on the wall. They expect headcount reductions. Soon. Within two years.
98% are restructuring their organizations right now. It isn’t a “maybe.” It is a calendar invite.
The C-Suite isn’t asking “should we use AI?” They are asking “how do we fire people using it?” While rank-and-file workers are worried. About their rent. About their resumes. The bosses are optimizing.
We aren’t imagining this. Amazon did it. Atlassian did it. Fiverr, Block, Snap. Pinterest joined the club. An estimated 50,00 jobs gone in 2025 alone. That’s not a trickle. That’s a flood.
“The historical pattern is clear: The U.S. economy can… adapt to major advances.” — David Solomon
Solomon is the CEO of Goldman Sachs. He wrote an op-ed recently. Said the “AI job apocalypse” is overblown. He wants us to trust history. To believe that new tech creates new jobs.
Maybe it does.
The Disconnect
Harvard Business School found something weird though. Gen-AI is actually creating demand. For specific roles. The “augmentation-prone” ones. But the layoffs? They hit finance and tech first. Hard.
Only 33% of execs believe humans and machines can work together. Really work together.
Most of them? They see replacement. Not partnership.
This creates a toxic vibe. Morale is tanking. A third of employees are ready to jump ship if AI puts them at a disadvantage. Why stay? Why let the machine dictate your value?
Is loyalty dead yet?
Pew Research says 21% of Americans already have AI touching their work. The other 65% say no. Their jobs are safe. For now. But the needle is moving.
Younger workers. College grads. Early-career folks. They are seeing it first. The integration isn’t a future concept. It’s in the inbox. In the workflow. In the layoff notices.
Execs see a cost-saving opportunity. Employees see a threat.
Nobody has figured out how to bridge that gap. Most companies probably never will.
So you wait. You code. You worry. The report is done. The planning starts tomorrow.
