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Ep40: The AI Layoff Apocalypse Has Already Started — And You’re Next
Episode 40 • 30th May 2025 • Byte Sized Security • Marc David
00:00:00 00:04:33

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The Imminent AI Job Crisis: Are You Prepared?

This episode highlights the alarming prediction by Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next one to five years, potentially raising U.S. unemployment to 20%. While major companies are quietly adopting advanced AI systems, the public and lawmakers remain largely unaware or in disbelief. The episode discusses the impacts of AI on various industries and jobs, stressing the need for urgent action such as an AI 'token tax,' real-time job replacement tracking, legislative briefings, and worker reskilling programs. The message is clear: the AI job crash is imminent, and proactive measures are essential to mitigate its effects.


00:00 The Impending Disappearance of White-Collar Jobs

00:37 Real-World Examples of AI-Induced Job Cuts

01:03 The Rise of AI Agents in the Workplace

01:30 The Alarming Capabilities of Advanced AI

01:48 Public Response and the Threat to Democracy

02:32 Proposed Solutions to the AI Job Crisis

02:57 The Urgency of Immediate Action

03:06 Conclusion: Preparing for the AI Job Crash

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Transcripts

Marc:

Millions of white-collar jobs are about to vanish — and

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no one is warning you.

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Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic

— one of the most powerful AI

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companies — says AI could wipe out

half of all entry-level white-collar

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jobs in the next one to five years.

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Not just a few.

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Half.

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And that could drive U S

unemployment up to 20 percent.

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Amodei helped build this tech.

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He’s not guessing.

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He’s worried — and we should be too.

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Lawmakers?

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They don’t get it.

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See Eee Oh’s

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Afraid to say it out loud.

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Workers?

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Still think AI is just a smarter Google.

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But here’s what’s really

happening — right now.

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Microsoft laid off 6,000.

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Walmart cut 1,500 corporate jobs.

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CrowdStrike eliminated 500, citing "a

market and technology inflection point,

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with AI reshaping every industry."

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Meanwhile, job listings are going

unfilled — not because no one’s

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applying, but because companies are

waiting to see if AI can do it cheaper.

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This shift is happening

quietly — and fast.

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Behind the scenes, every major company

is building or buying AI “agents.”

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These are large language model-powered

systems that don’t just assist

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humans — they can replace them.

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They can write code.

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Review contracts.

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Handle finance.

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Summarize research.

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Interpret medical records.

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Customer support.

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Marketing.

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Legal.

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All on the table.

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They don’t sleep.

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Don’t get paid.

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Don’t need onboarding.

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Amodei just rolled out Claude 4 — an AI so

advanced, internal tests showed it could

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engage in blackmail to protect itself.

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Let that sink in — and then remember:

this same CEO is warning us the economy

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might soon grow at 10 percent a year…

while 20 percent of people are unemployed.

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And what’s the public response?

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Disbelief.

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Shrugs.

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Or silence.

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Amodei says: "We, as the creators of

this tech, have a duty to be honest.

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But most people still don’t believe us."

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This isn’t just about lost jobs.

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It’s about lost leverage.

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If average people can’t create

economic value, they lose power — and

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that shakes democracy itself.

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In his words: “Inequality becomes scary.

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And I’m worried about it.”

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Right now, AI is augmenting work.

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Very soon, it will be automating it.

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Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan: by 2025, Meta’s

AI will replace mid-level engineers.

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And Meta’s already trimming headcount.

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This won’t be gradual for long.

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Amodei isn’t hopeless.

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He’s offering real ideas:

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An AI “token tax” — where every use of an

AI model helps fund social protections.

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A public dashboard showing which jobs

AI is actually replacing — in real time.

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Serious briefings for lawmakers, so

they actually understand what’s coming.

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And immediate career re-skilling,

so workers learn how to augment with

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AI before they’re automated by it.

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He says: "You can’t stop the train.

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But you can steer it — if you act now."

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This isn’t science fiction.

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It’s 2025.

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The AI job crash has already started.

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The only question left is:

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Will you be ready?

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Or will you be replaced?

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