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Sam Altman Says Firms Are 'AI‑Washing' Layoffs

He says the technology will begin displacing roles in the next few years.

Overview

  • Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, Altman told CNBC-TV18 that some employers are blaming AI for cuts they would have made anyway, even as he acknowledged real AI-driven displacement exists.
  • Recent corporate disclosures link reorganizations to AI, with Pinterest reallocating resources to AI teams and Meta shifting investment toward AI glasses, alongside layoffs announced at Google and Autodesk.
  • Beyond big tech, Livspace and law firm Baker McKenzie have trimmed staff as they move toward AI-based workflows.
  • Consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas tallied roughly 55,000 layoffs attributed to AI in 2025, representing less than 1% of all job losses that year.
  • Empirical snapshots remain cautious and industry views diverge, with an NBER-cited survey finding about 90% of executives saw no AI impact on employment over three years, while leaders like Dario Amodei and Mustafa Suleyman offer sharply different forecasts.