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Been away for a while. Since AI is all the rage these days, I want to add my rant in since I'm actually on one of the automation teams at the moment for my company.
In the 1990s, the North Atlantic cod fishery collapsed. Everyone knew the fish stocks were dwindling, but each fishing company kept pushing harder, hoping to outcompete the rest and survive. Instead, the whole ecosystem and the industry with it died. AI-driven layoffs feel eerily similar. Every company is racing to slash labor costs before competitors do. But in the process, we might be destroying the very thing that keeps the economy alive, purchasing power of consumers.
Mass layoffs don’t just hurt workers. They shrink demand. If millions lose income, spending drops. The economy stalls. No matter how efficient a company is, it still needs people who can afford its products and services. We’re cutting costs in ways that could lead to mass unemployment, lower consumer spending, and eventually, corporate collapse. It’s short-term quarterly based thinking hyped up as innovation.
Some of the ultra-wealthy might think they’ll ride out the storm at the top of a techno-feudal hierarchy. They own the platforms, hoard capital, and influence policy. But history says otherwise. When inequality becomes extreme, revolts tend to follow. No one is safe in a collapsing system. The people who profited the most often have the most to lose when things break. This isn't some communist pinko leftist shit, but reality. When FDR raised taxes on the rich during the Great Depression, he said "I am fighting to save the system, not to destroy it." You can't have capitalism and market economy without demand.
And let’s say the working class really does become obsolete. AI and robotics can do it all. If we create superintelligent AI, why assume it’ll stay loyal to the people in charge? If it sees them as inefficient or parasitic, it might phase them out. Just like some of those same elites view working people as welfare leeches now.
In the 1990s, the North Atlantic cod fishery collapsed. Everyone knew the fish stocks were dwindling, but each fishing company kept pushing harder, hoping to outcompete the rest and survive. Instead, the whole ecosystem and the industry with it died. AI-driven layoffs feel eerily similar. Every company is racing to slash labor costs before competitors do. But in the process, we might be destroying the very thing that keeps the economy alive, purchasing power of consumers.
Mass layoffs don’t just hurt workers. They shrink demand. If millions lose income, spending drops. The economy stalls. No matter how efficient a company is, it still needs people who can afford its products and services. We’re cutting costs in ways that could lead to mass unemployment, lower consumer spending, and eventually, corporate collapse. It’s short-term quarterly based thinking hyped up as innovation.
Some of the ultra-wealthy might think they’ll ride out the storm at the top of a techno-feudal hierarchy. They own the platforms, hoard capital, and influence policy. But history says otherwise. When inequality becomes extreme, revolts tend to follow. No one is safe in a collapsing system. The people who profited the most often have the most to lose when things break. This isn't some communist pinko leftist shit, but reality. When FDR raised taxes on the rich during the Great Depression, he said "I am fighting to save the system, not to destroy it." You can't have capitalism and market economy without demand.
And let’s say the working class really does become obsolete. AI and robotics can do it all. If we create superintelligent AI, why assume it’ll stay loyal to the people in charge? If it sees them as inefficient or parasitic, it might phase them out. Just like some of those same elites view working people as welfare leeches now.
