The conversation around artificial intelligence and its impact on the workforce has been a constant hum for years. But now, a former Google executive is turning up the volume with a particularly blunt and controversial take. According to Mo Gawdat, former chief business officer at Google X, the idea that AI will create more jobs than it eliminates is “100% crap.” And he’s not just talking about entry-level positions. He believes even top executives and creative professionals are on the chopping block.
Ex-Google doesn’t believe AI will help create jobs; even CEOs are in danger
Gawdat, a veteran of the tech industry, argues that the push for AI isn’t about innovation for its own sake but about “labor arbitrage.” In other words, it is about the pursuit of cost savings by replacing human work. He cites his own experience with his AI startup, which he claims would have required 350 developers in the past but was built with just him, two other experts, and AI. This kind of efficiency, he says, is a sign of things to come. Companies are increasingly adopting AI to cut down on human labor.
His predictions are far-reaching. Gawdat suggests that jobs we might consider safe, like video editors, podcasters, and even CEOs, are at risk. In his view, once artificial general intelligence (AGI) reaches a certain point, it will be better than humans at everything, including running a company. He even goes so far as to say that “most incompetent CEOs will be replaced” by AI.
Other prominent names are more optimistic
However, not everyone shares Gawdat’s doomsday scenario. Other prominent tech leaders offer a more optimistic view. Billionaires like Mark Cuban and Jensen Huang believe that while AI will change the nature of work, learning to use it will give workers a competitive edge. The argument here is that humans will be needed to program, manage, and train these systems. So, those with a strong understanding of AI will thrive.
Data from the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs” report adds another layer to the debate. While 41% of global employers do plan to downsize due to AI, a much larger 77% are planning to “upskill” their current workforce to better work alongside the technology. This suggests that the future may not be about human replacement but rather human-AI collaboration.
AI is not the villain, Gawdat says
Ultimately, Gawdat doesn’t see AI as the villain. Instead, he places the blame on “money-hungry CEOs” who are too quick to adopt the technology for financial gain. Their main problem is with these CEOs who do not consider the societal consequences. For Gawdat, the rise of AI could be an opportunity for a major societal shift, freeing people from the “capitalist lie” that their purpose is defined by their work. But that shift, he warns, will likely require new social policies. For instance, a universal basic income (UBI) would be necessary to ensure a smooth transition into an AI-powered future.
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