Jeff B did it with a goat. It was a scapegoat.

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Hi! I’m Peter, CEO of Kickresume, and these career-related stories caught my attention this month — and might catch yours too.

I've been reading a lot of layoff announcements lately. (Fun hobby, I know.)

And they're all weirdly identical. Tell me if you see what I'm seeing:

• Amazon announced it will lay off 14,000 employees to be 'organized more leanly' due to the 'transformative' nature of AI.

• Salesforce CEO confirmed 4,000 layoffs 'because I need less heads' with AI.

• Chegg, an online education company, announced a 45% reduction in workforce due to the 'new realities of AI'.

• Fiverr is cutting 30% of its workforce to help turn Fiverr into an 'AI-first company.'

There it is: AI as the official reason for mass layoffs.

The thing we've all been anxious about for years now is happening. 

Or… is it?

AI is innocent (for once)

The "AI will take our jobs" anxiety has been building since ChatGPT launched in 2022. 

But until recently, it was mostly that—anxiety. Companies weren't really citing AI as the reason for mass layoffs until now. 

Suddenly though, giants like Amazon, Salesforce, Microsoft and Meta are pointing directly at AI as the reason thousands of people are out of work.

Except... a lot of experts are skeptical about fully blaming AI and actually say it’s a convenient scapegoat for the recent tech layoffs. 

And I’m kind of convinced. Here’s why:

First, the boring bit: Tech companies went on a hiring spree during the pandemic.

Some companies, especially tech ones, hired like crazy during Covid when the demand was high and interest rates were near zero. And now? They're correcting for that over-hiring.

A Columbia University scholar even told Forbes that these redundancies would have led to layoffs regardless of AI. 

And it's just easier for a company to say 'AI is replacing jobs' than to admit that they miscalculated their growth trajectory, isn’t it?

Second (and this is a juicy one): if AI is making roles redundant, why are companies still hiring thousands of people?

• Amazon laid off 14,000 workers citing AI. At the same time, they were approved for 13,265 H-1B visas in 2025 alone.

• Salesforce cut 4,000 roles, blaming AI. But they also received 3,064 H-1B visas since 2024. (And they employ over 13,000 people in India.)

Quick explainer: H-1B visas let companies bring foreign workers to the US for specialized jobs they supposedly can't fill locally.

So if AI replaced these jobs... why are they still bringing in thousands of workers to do them? (Workers who, by the way, typically accept lower wages and depend on the visa to stay in the country.)

It's almost like this isn't about AI at all. Just good old outsourcing for cheaper labor with better branding.

And finally, there's something you might have experienced yourself: workload dumping.

Recent research actually shows AI isn't delivering the productivity gains companies promised. 

• A Boston Consulting Group survey of 1,250 firms found that 60% saw "minimal revenue and cost gains despite substantial investment" in AI. 

• Only 10% in a Deloitte survey said they're getting "significant return on investment" from AI systems.

But companies are still cutting headcount because, well, AI exists now. So surely you don't need as many people, right?

Except what often happens is it’s just fewer people doing more work, with some help from AI.

So while the press release talks about "the transformative nature of AI," the actual reason is just plain old cost-cutting.

The perfect AI-libi *badum tsss*

Here's something counterintuitive: layoffs boost stock prices. (As long as the company isn't already struggling.)

Why? Shareholders see efficiency. Less cost, more profit.

For example, when Bumble announced 30% cuts, their stock jumped 25% the same day.

So if layoffs already work, why add the "AI" label?

Well, after digging into this, I've realized it's actually kind of genius. For a few reasons.

First, investors don't just love layoffs—they really love "AI-first" companies. So "AI layoffs" = double the stock bump.

Second, it hides the somewhat less glamorous reasons like cost-cutting, outsourcing, or miscalculating growth. "AI transformation" sounds a lot better than "we screwed up our hiring strategy."

Third, it makes you look innovative instead of greedy. You're not just hoarding profits but you're “embracing the future” (real words, btw.)

And finally, AI is just the perfect scapegoat. Non-human. Doesn't sue, organize, or fight back. Can't defend itself or hurt your brand.

Win-win-win for shareholders and executives. Loss for everyone else.

...Maybe I should announce some AI layoffs at Kickresume? (Kidding! Kidding!)

You know who has job security? Super Mario

Look, getting laid off sucks no matter what reason the company gives you.

And knowing the real cause probably won't change the outcome.

But I still think it's worth understanding what's actually happening in the job market. And that AI isn't the villain here. (At least not yet.)

So here’s my attempt at advice:

If you've been through layoffs or you're burnt out from the constant threat of them—and honestly kind of over your job at this point—it's never too late to try something else. Maybe something less affected by all this.

Weirdly enough, while AI is being blamed for killing jobs, it's also creating demand for others. The CEO of Nvidia pointed out that global spending on data centers is projected to hit $7 trillion by 2030. And those data centers desperately need electricians, electrical engineers, even plumbers. (Seriously—the cooling systems alone are massive.)

These roles are going to be in high demand. And they'll pay well.

And if you actually love your job and you're worried your skills are about to become obsolete because of AI? They're not. At least not anytime soon.

I’m always impressed to see anyone scroll all the way down here.

And since you’re one of those people, I’m not gonna let you go empty-handed.

This time it’s a 30% discount on code for Kickresume Premium subscription.

Catch you later! 

Peter