> What I bet is happening under the covers is reprioritization of work, offshoring or both.

AI has been frequently used as an explanation for layoffs.

Before AI, layoffs would be a positive signal to investors, but they'd be demoralizing to staff and/or harm the brand.

Now, you can say, "Wow, we're so good at technology, we're eliminated ___ jobs!" and try to get the best of both worlds.

My company did exactly this earlier in the year. It was a blatant lie and everyone who works here knew it. None of the people laid off were actually replaced with AI, the work they did was just eliminated.

Yeah, unquestioning “journalists” have allowed them to turn laying off thousands into an ad for their new tech.