~150,000 Layoffs — What's It Like in Silicon Valley?
AI displaces jobs in Silicon Valley. Who wins, who loses, and what companies are actually doing about it.
Between 2025 and 2026, ~150,000 laid offs due to AI.
What’s It Like in Silicon Valley?
Not long ago, an entire team, from one of the largest tech companies, that we were working with disappeared. Even a day before the layoff, they worked past midnight with us. Then, the next day they could only be reached through personal contact. Luckily, many of them got exit-package. But, I also know many who left without.
Displacement of jobs by AI
This is real. If it has not reached your company or industry yet, it will very likely happen. 100% guarantee. Think of it as repeat of what computers and internet did to job, just bigger. I remember my parents having difficulty learning how to use computers. Jobs like typists, clerks, bookkeepers, mail sorters, keypunch operators, etc. disappeared within a few years after computers. AI has already displaced jobs like programmer, writer, customer support, paralegal, translator, etc.
What happens to displaced workers?
When computers replaced typists, the work of type-writing disappeared. But the need for documents actually increased. Similarly, when AI displaces programmers, the work of writing code is replaced by AI. But the need to create product actually increased. Reality is that each developer is producing 100x more code than before using AI.
Winners and Losers
Every technology brings disruption. Amazon displacing book stores, Uber displacing taxi drivers, etc. My children will soon be graduating from college, entering the job market. They will have harder time than ever before to land a job. What I advise them is to embrace the change. If change in inevitable, one who takes the effort to take advantage of the change wins.
Timeline for AI
If it has not reached you already, AI will come to your company and industry within the next year or two. If you are doing physical work, AI will come in the next three to five years.
What should I do about it?
I will write more about this in later posts. But, in short, there are four most common paths companies take.
- Worry and discuss
- Follow competitor
- Try something new
- Replace current workers Most companies are stuck in 1. The successful companies take option 4. I have seen that though option 4 seems most cruel, it is the best and most obvious choice for both the company and employee.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/silicon-valley-tech-layoffs-2/4087606/ https://programs.com/resources/ai-layoffs/
Posts
X: ~150,000 layoffs due to AI. The team we worked with disappeared overnight. AI is displacing jobs — programmer, writer, paralegal, translator. Clear winners and losers. Ream more. #AI #Layoffs #SiliconValley #FutureOfWork #Jobs
Facebook: ~150,000 layoffs. Wow~ An entire team we worked with at one of the largest tech companies in the world disappeared overnight. Layoff due to AI is real.
Good news: most of the people that were laid off found another job. Many in better positions. They got laid off because of AI. But got a new job because of AI. Bad news: some are still looking for a job. Many had to relocate and retrain a totally new trade.
Clear winners and losers. Ream more
#AI #Layoffs #SiliconValley #FutureOfWork #Jobs #Automation #TechIndustry #AdaptOrDie #WorkforceTransformation #AIRevolution