Workforce Automation

The numbers started quietly. A few hundred here, a thousand there. But this week, the trickle became a flood — and the conversation about AI replacing human workers shifted from theoretical to terrifyingly real. Block CEO Jack Dorsey just axed nearly half his company. Four thousand jobs, gone in a single announcement. His message to the rest of corporate America? “I don’t think we’re early to this realization. I think most companies are late.” ...

There’s a moment in every technological revolution when theory becomes visceral. When the PowerPoints about “productivity gains” turn into 4,000 people cleaning out their desks. On Thursday, Block — the company behind Square, Cash App, and Afterpay — delivered that moment for the AI era. CEO Jack Dorsey announced the company is slashing its workforce by roughly 40%. More than 4,000 employees gone. From over 10,000 people down to just under 6,000. The reason, stated without euphemism: “intelligence tools.” ...

An 84-year-old senator stood at Stanford last Friday and told a room full of future tech workers that America has “not a clue” what’s about to hit it. Then he proposed freezing the construction of AI data centers until Congress catches up. Bernie Sanders isn’t wrong about the problem. He might be dangerously wrong about the solution. The Stanford Bombshell Sanders shared the stage with Congressman Ro Khanna — the guy who literally represents Silicon Valley — at an event titled “Who Controls the Future of AI: The Oligarchs or the People.” Subtlety wasn’t on the agenda. ...