Your Boss Is Lying To You About AI Layoffs
Companies are blaming “AI layoffs” for massive job cuts, but the numbers reveal a messier truth as AI efficiency, recession pressure, and shareholder math all collide in ways your boss won’t admit. From Amazon and Duolingo to generative news anchors and machine-learning Oreos, we break down how automation is reshaping work faster (and weirder) than anyone is prepared for.
They Might Be Self-Aware · Hunter Powers, Daniel Bishop
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Show Notes
Your boss isn’t telling you the truth. We are. This week’s AI news breaks down the myth that “AI is taking every job” and exposes what’s actually happening behind the massive layoffs at Amazon, UPS, Duolingo, and more. Spoiler: AI is involved—but not in the way you think.
On this episode:
- The real reason companies are slashing thousands of jobs
- Why CEOs get rewarded for layoffs (yes, the stock price goes UP)
- How AI gives top performers a 10× multiplier—and what happens next
- The Oreo dystopia: machine-learning cookie scientists
- Channel 4’s AI reporter (was she real? does it matter?)
- EA, game dev, and the parts of the industry quietly automated already
- And the uncomfortable future where AI outrage lasts… six months
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Your Boss Is Lying – AI layoffs, recession signals & the truth no one’s telling you
06:12 The Efficiency Bomb – AI’s 10× productivity, RIF math & why stock prices reward cuts
13:45 Amazon, UPS & Oreo?! – Real companies, real layoffs, and machine-learning cookie science
19:58 AI Anchors Arrive – Channel 4’s synthetic reporter, deepfake journalism & war-zone robots
25:10 Are Any Jobs Safe? – Game dev automation, cultural collapse & the fate of human creators
⚡ Listen now & get self-aware before your tools do.
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