#automation

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/26/nike-to-lay-off-775-employees-at-us-distribution-centers.html

Anthropic’s Claude can already convert significantly complex SAS programming streams into Python and related libraries. Complex systems of nested macros might require human intervention, but these tools are only going to get better.

IOW, the years are getting shorter for expensive proprietary software like SAS. Recently spoke with someone who is a director at GSK and told me they no longer use SAS in any department she is aware of.

Have we reached a point where it is delusional to think that SAS can recover without coming up with some kind of strong AI-based niche play going forward? Given the acceleration of AI tools that can parse and transform complex programming languages, isn’t it more reasonable to think that SAS has maybe 3 to 5 more years of reliable renewable revenue instead of 8 to 10 more years?

OP: @301+1ke5jkdwp

Just saying...

• Report Shows Rising Employee Layoff Fears

A new INTOO/Harris Poll report reveals increased layoff anxiety among US employees. Over 61% of workers are concerned about job loss, a nearly 30% rise since 2019. Economic uncertainty, automation, and leadership skepticism fuel these growing fears. Many employees believe most recent layoffs could have been avoided with better management. INTOO suggests employers need greater transparency and support to address this anxiety.

https://www.knoxnews.com/press-release/story/134260/new-intoo-harris-poll-report-finds-nearly-30-increase-in-u-s-employees-experiencing-layoff-anxiety-compared-to-2019/

It sounds like call center representatives are gonna get cut. They all jumped on the WFH angle, when asked to RTO, most refused. Now it’s time to go and let automation take over.

Citigroup Plans March Layoffs for Senior Staff

https://www.benzinga.com/markets/large-cap/26/01/50108593/citigroup-plans-fresh-march-layoffs-targeting-senior-roles

Citigroup is preparing for another round of employee layoffs expected in March. These reductions will primarily affect managing directors and other senior employees. This is part of a larger plan to eliminate 20,000 roles by the end of 2026. CEO Jane Fraser noted automation and AI will reshape the bank's workforce. The company aims to simplify operations and boost productivity.

A standardized platform across CSG first will help work out the bugs in Maverick. This will pave the way for the training of the AI replacement for financial and Logistics teams, and to some respects Support.
Any bugs will be at first blamed on the users so management will spend a month threatening those is sees as saboteurs. ISG will be next to see if it scales up to the needs of those products.
A year or so of training will give the AI enough info to become full-fledged replacement. I will be leaving the day my bonus hits my account. I have a new job lined up starting April 6.

Former TikTok content moderators in the UK are suing the company. They allege TikTok engaged in union busting tactics. Layoffs reportedly occurred just before a scheduled union vote. TikTok denies these claims, citing AI-driven restructuring for efficiency. The lawsuit highlights tensions over tech worker protections and automation.

https://www.webpronews.com/uk-tiktok-moderators-sue-for-union-busting-amid-ai-layoffs/

If AI and automation can’t handle the HR load that Citi has, then forget about it being able to handle things of more complexity. Seriously, the HR paper shuffle is about as low hanging fruit as you can get when it comes to a comparison of job complexity. If you want a true low hanging fruit test bed as to the accuracy and integrity of your AI platform, make HR your first target. If AI can’t handle that with sustained measurable success, then it certainly can’t handle complex number crunching, transactions and\or tech.

Many of us are just hanging out at work doing the very minimum work that we can get away with without getting fired all awhile laughing about getting paid well for doing almost nothing. Also laughing about how we all know we're being replaced by automation and off-shoring and that we'll eventually be laid off. Well haha yeah we WANT to be laid off! And we ain't leaving until they PAY us to leave! It's so easy to just stay on the payroll and take advantage of all the paid days off for all the many reasons. And we laugh because we just don't care! Also because the company cannot touch us. Haha... no matter what you say, we just don't give a flying fock!

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/05/boston-dynamicss-next-gen-humanoid-robot-will-have-google-deepmind-dna/

Everyone get ready for the real great replacement. Humanoid robots with AI learning are being taught how to do part deliveries and other logistical tasks. Gulfstream will do anything to improve their profit margins, so you better believe that they will find a way to replace every human worker at gulfstream with a robot that doesn't require bathroom breaks, food, vacations, health insurance or anything else that could possibly slow production down. They will be able to work 24/7/365, will be able to perform all the tasks we can without causing any DRDIs. It's not about if it happens, it's about when.

https://www.thehrdigest.com/verizon-layoffs-to-hit-15000-roles-in-2026-as-automation-takes-over/

Hopefully a full pain or whatever the he-l his name is on the list. You know the guy who barges into meetings and takes credit for other peoples work without contributing zilch! Then again the almost 90% of upper management at verizon.

Verizon to Eliminate Up to 15,000 Roles by 2026

https://www.thehrdigest.com/verizon-layoffs-to-hit-15000-roles-in-2026-as-automation-takes-over/

Verizon plans significant job reductions in 2026 as part of a major restructuring. Between 13,000 and 15,000 roles could be affected. New CEO Dan Schulman aims for greater efficiency and cost savings. The company expects $3 billion to $4 billion in annual savings from these changes. Automation and a competitive market are driving these decisions.

There has been some speculation about potential layoffs in March. Has anyone heard anything credible or been given guidance related to this? Please share context if available.

https://www.thehrdigest.com/verizon-layoffs-to-hit-15000-roles-in-2026-as-automation-takes-over/

Is this true? Biggest employers are replacing some workers with All Indians?

https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/01/16/bank-america-wells-fargo-ai-job-cuts

https://www.thehrdigest.com/verizon-layoffs-to-hit-15000-roles-in-2026-as-automation-takes-over/

Word on the street is, higher ups are actively training new AI agents to replace creative jobs in post production

Hold onto your butts

Why is nobody picking up new skills? It feels obvious the auto industry is shrinking fast with automation and outsourcing. People are going to get left behind if they don’t start preparing. Learning something new and looking elsewhere could be the smartest move for the future.

11 posts in a row with nothing really about layoffs. I made thru 25. I know there’s stuff brewing for 26, but I’m not sure how it’s all going shake out. AI and automation are going to play a big role in change. Just not sure what that looks like.

Cutting roles that deal directly with clients and partners is especially short-sighted, but it won’t stop there. Even the so-called “mundane” jobs carry institutional knowledge that doesn’t show up on a spreadsheet. The idea that AI can just step in and replace people is laughable. AI can barely function without constant babysitting, and it certainly can’t replicate judgment, context, or experience. Every role has its unwritten rules, workarounds, and hard-earned skills. Throwing all of that away and hoping to replace it with cheap offshore labor, half-baked automation, or nothing at all isn’t strategy but laziness and greed. And in the long run, it’s one of the most expensive mistakes a company can make.

https://arizonadigitalfreepress.com/wells-fargo-expects-more-job-cuts-will-roll-out-ai-gradually-in-2026/

Chubb plans to cut workforce massively thanks to automation. Is AIG going to follow? We have cut a lot already but automation isn't our cup of tea for now, let's be real. Can we compete in the market with our present level of costs? I wish good luck and happy Christmas to everyone, I hope 2026 will be ok.

Does anyone know of any RIFed roles actually replaced with AI?

• PepsiCo Signals Imminent Layoffs with Work-From-Home Mandate

PepsiCo appears to be the latest major American corporation preparing to reduce its workforce, with reports indicating that job cuts in the United States and Canada could be imminent. The strongest indication of this move comes from a recent directive reported by Bloomberg, which instructed employees in key North American offices—including the company’s headquarters in Purchase, New York, as well as hubs in Chicago and Plano—to work from home this week. This strategy is increasingly utilized by corporate leadership to mitigate the immediate in-office emotional impact and logistical challenges associated with large-scale termination announcements.

The potential restructuring aligns with a broader strategic push to enhance shareholder value and streamline operations. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta recently issued a memorandum outlining goals for 2026 that prioritize "record productivity savings" and improved operating margins. These changes, which include increased reliance on automation and digitalization, come amidst pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management. Elliott, known for aggressively pursuing operational efficiency and cost reductions, recently acquired a substantial $4 billion stake in the beverage and snack giant.

While PepsiCo has not yet officially confirmed specific numbers, executives have increasingly used the term "right-sizing" to describe workforce adjustments. This development follows a smaller reduction in November, where 500 jobs were eliminated following the closure of two Frito-Lay facilities in Florida. The looming layoffs arrive during a mixed financial period for the company; while PepsiCo reported a slight year-over-year revenue increase in the third quarter of 2025, its stock value has dropped approximately 4.5% since the beginning of the year.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91457193/pepsico-layoffs-job-cuts-heres-the-biggest-clue-theyre-coming-as-pepsi-looks-to-right-size-workforce

DTC Dells how to follow along is ending all LVL 1 support positions here shortly. They did a massive push on BPO companies servicing dell clients where they were not required to have formal training on TECH so they could follow a flow chart on NBA. This will be the death of quite a few jobs for the industry if others adopt.

At my last job, we had been restructuring, updating manuals, doing extra audits, but I brushed it off. Then one coworker got cut. Soon, discussions about automating tasks began. A month later I was handed the pink slip. Looking back, the warning signs were glaring. Only I didn’t want to admit it. Painful lesson. Make sure not to repeat it.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bellshannon_opentext-saasnorth-ai-activity-7392316748789645313-ZHe0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAABhB4MBcBHRibYSCOVJE9N6rfUeHc5O6F8

Artificial Intelligence is being promoted as the next great engine of prosperity. AT&T, like many others, insists that AI will be a job creator, a force that opens new opportunities and drives innovation. But let’s be honest. If AI is as successful as its architects hope, it will never generate more jobs than it destroys.

The entire purpose of AI investment is efficiency. It is designed to automate, to optimize, to eliminate human error, and ultimately to eliminate human labor. If after billions in research and infrastructure AI does not eliminate millions of jobs, it will be judged a failure. That is the paradox. Success for AI means displacement on a scale society has never seen.

This is not alarmism. It is simple math. Every breakthrough in automation has reduced the need for human workers. AI is not just another tool. It is a general-purpose technology capable of replacing cognitive, creative, and managerial tasks once thought untouchable. When machines can write, analyze, negotiate, and even empathize, what remains for us?

The consequences go far beyond unemployment statistics. Work is not just a paycheck. It is the backbone of civil society. It structures our days, gives us purpose, and ties us to communities. Strip away meaningful employment for millions, and you do not just create economic instability. You unravel the social fabric itself.

If AI succeeds, we face a collapse of civil society:

• Mass displacement of workers across industries, not only manufacturing but also white-collar and professional roles
• Erosion of identity and purpose as people lose the roles that anchor them in society
• Concentration of wealth and power as the benefits of AI accrue to a handful of corporations and investors
• Political instability as inequality deepens and trust in institutions evaporates

We cannot afford to be lulled by glossy promises of “new jobs” or “reskilling.” History shows that the jobs created by automation are fewer, more specialized, and often inaccessible to those displaced. The scale of AI disruption will dwarf past industrial revolutions.

This is not a distant future. It is unfolding now. The urgency is real. If we do not confront the societal consequences head-on, we risk trading human dignity for technological progress. And that is not progress at all. It is collapse.

I guess the whole transition from employees to AI didn't really go as well as they had hoped, did it now?

Thoughts on automation. Met is pushing this forward along with offshore. I see contracts as the first casualty.

While a minority of the layoffs discussed during third-quarter earnings were attributed to AI, the AI-related share increased notably through 2025, growing to just above 15% in the quarter. But more broadly, he highlighted that the companies discussing AI in the context of their workforce or layoffs “indeed appear to be pulling back disproportionately on hiring.”

https://fortune.com/2025/12/02/are-layoffs-related-to-ai-job-opening-goldman-sachs/

Replace your boss with AI
I am not trolling- this is useful:

https://ReplaceYourBoss.ai

as an employer client of Mutual of America i am disappointed to learn there could be more layoffs. We have lost some good local service team members the past couple of years, and some of these comments are a bad omen.

If there are corporate management on here, before more front line staff are laid off, listen to what your loyal customers need and want:

Better functioning website
Modern employee education
ability to submit contributions on my Android device
Improved Mobile App. this hasn't been updated for years
Retirement readiness score. there same calculators from Dinkytown have been on the website for 15 yrs. Why no upgrades ?
low amount of industry articles & newsfeeds
poor communication this is 2025 and employees can't commmunicate by Chat, text, or secure messaging
Lack of automation its paper & calls for everything. Company lacks automation
no professional money manaegment option
lack of financial planning
not enough big name investments

There you have it ! Focus on these areas and you could expand and hire more employees or at least replace the employees with AI robots or chatbots. Help us 1st !

Mutual of America, you CAN do better !

I first asked my supervisor here in Bloomington Minnesota and learned that on December 15th we shall be informed that our office is closing. Most of us are very happy to be laid off because we are all so done with this $chitt-hole place and are looking forward to the awesome termination package we get per our union contract. We get up to 2 years pay for those of us with over 31 years service. We're already celebrating! Sorry to the managers who only get a tiny fraction of what we union members get. Funny how we've all watched as all of our work, piece by piece, has become automated or off-shored - and we can only laugh about it.

Is anyone left? #robocollege

https://www.investing.com/news/transcripts/earnings-call-transcript-phoenix-education-partners-reports-q4-2025-growth-stock-dips-93CH-4371849

It's not fun whatsoever to watch coworkers, friends and/or family loose their livelihood. I know many at Verizon who've been going thru this round of layoffs turmoil, and amongst them some who lost their jobs. It's very hard watching people you know suffer, however it is a reality of working at large corporations.

Honestly, it's something you inadvertently sign up for when you take a corporate position, especially in the Telecommunications industry which has regularly had staff cutbacks for nearly ~45 years beginning with the breakup the AT&T Bell System in 1982.

I've worked in Telecom (AT&T, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile and Boost) since the mid-1980's and have been thru major rounds of layoffs literally dozens of times (impacted 1 time personally when AT&T shut down their entire Consumer Business in 2003) so I can certainly emphasize with others enduring the same.

This could well be Verizon's "new norm" going forward (also Telcom & Corp America) with AI, automation and operational changes significantly take hold.

P.s., I've previously worked closely with Verizon's CEO, Dan Schulman at AT&T and Virgin Mobile over the years. He's a good Executive doing what's necessary to right Verizon's lagging performance.

The transformation of Verizon under CEO Dan Schulman, driven by AI, to mirror the goals of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—to achieve a radical reduction in operating friction and an aggressive overhaul of the cost structure—but focused on customers and internal processes rather than stove piped, bureaucracy.

Schulman has explicitly stated his plan is to "aggressively transform our culture, our cost structure and the financial profile" to make the company "simpler, leaner, and scrappier," using AI as the central engine for this change.

AI-driven transformation, analogous to a DOGE-style overhaul at Verizon:

AI as the "DOGE" for Verizon: Two Core Pillars
The transformation centers on AI simultaneously improving the customer experience (to drive retention) and automating operations (to slash costs).

1. Eliminating Customer "Bureaucracy" (The CX Overhaul)
   The goal is to use AI to dismantle the complexity and friction that causes customers to leave (churn).

Hyper-Personalized Offerings:

The Change: Instead of navigating complex plans and bundles, Generative AI analyzes each customer's real-time usage (data, call, streaming), device ecosystem, and loyalty history to instantly suggest the single best, most cost-effective plan for them. This simplifies the shopping process and eliminates the customer suspicion of being overcharged.

The DOGE Parallel: This eliminates "wasteful" time and frustration for the customer, much like streamlining a government form.

Proactive and Instant Customer Service:

The Change: AI-powered churn prediction models identify customers who are highly likely to have an issue or switch carriers before they even call. AI then triggers a proactive intervention, such as adjusting network capacity in their area, automatically applying a loyalty discount, or sending a personalized text to check in.

The DOGE Parallel: This is a shift from reactive management (only fixing problems after a complaint/crisis) to proactive, preventative problem-solving, eliminating the need for expensive, high-touch support calls.

Intelligent Agent Routing and Support:

The Change: When a customer does call, AI uses a "Fast Pass" or similar system to instantly categorize the caller's need (e.g., "international billing issue," "Fios speed problem") and route them to the exact human expert trained in that niche, cutting down transfer times and repeat explanations.

The DOGE Parallel: Maximizing the productivity of the human workforce by ensuring they only handle the most complex cases, eliminating time wasted on simple tasks.

1. Aggressively Restructuring the Expense Base (The Cost Transformation)
   AI will be deployed internally to achieve the "simpler, leaner" operations Schulman has promised, translating directly into major job role changes and cost cuts.

Automation of Back-Office Functions:

The Change: Intelligent automation takes over large-scale, repetitive tasks in billing, supply chain, and contract management. This results in significant staff reductions (layoffs) in administrative and support roles, a key part of the "scrappier" business model.

The DOGE Parallel: This is the direct application of "cutting wasteful expenditures" and "downsizing the federal workforce" by replacing manual labor with efficient software.

Network Optimization and Predictive Maintenance:

The Change: Machine Learning (ML) models continuously analyze network performance data to predict equipment failures, automatically adjust power consumption across cell sites, and optimize technician dispatch routes. The network essentially becomes self-healing and energy-efficient.

The DOGE Parallel: Modernizing technology and software to "maximize governmental efficiency and productivity," saving billions in maintenance and energy costs.

Precision Capital Allocation:

The Change: Data science and AI are used to determine precisely where capital should be invested (e.g., which specific neighborhoods need a 5G Ultra Wideband upgrade versus which areas can rely on existing infrastructure) to maximize subscriber growth and revenue return, rather than blanket spending.

The DOGE Parallel: Ensuring that every dollar is spent wisely and effectively to achieve strategic goals, much like a government audit of taxpayer funds.

The overall goal is a tectonic shift in Verizon's identity: from a company primarily defined by its physical network build-out to a digital-first, data-driven organization where AI dictates every interaction, promotion, and operational expense.

The next wave isn’t some mystery, it’s already baked into our strategy. When leadership pivots this hard into AI, it isn’t because they suddenly care about “efficiency.” It’s because they’re building a structure where human labor becomes optional.

Once the next round is done and AI systems hit their next iteration milestone, the company will need another injection of savings to justify the spend. That’s when the follow-up layoff is planned. Everyone will be surprised. It won't be because the market shifted overnight. Because massive automation projects always demand a second cut to “realize value" it's the only way we make the money from it.

And the pattern is predictable:
• automate what you can,
• offshore what you can’t,
• shrink the org until the balance sheet looks cleaner.

People keep saying, “AI can’t replace us.” But that’s exactly what these systems are being trained to do, absorb workflows, mimic decisions, and reduce headcount. It won’t replace everyone, but it will replace enough roles to hit whatever targets leadership promised the board.

We’re watching a slow-motion restructuring disguised as innovation. Employees feel it long before leadership admits it. Pretending otherwise doesn’t protect anyone, it just blindsides people who could’ve been preparing.

Leadership has already set this in motion and they know the next outcome but they're going to work you harder than ever so the AI gets trained on good data practices as you all help to make the AI perfect.

At least we don't see any government regulators coming down to regulate AI and save jobs....oh yeah, probably because the top AI company's own the AI conversation right now and they need to move fast before they lose control.

Good luck to all

How many of us will be replaced by AI in the next few years?