## AI's Impact on White-Collar Jobs: A Divided Tech Landscape This report from **Business Insider**, authored by **Brent D. Griffiths** and published on **July 19, 2025**, explores the divergent opinions among prominent tech and business leaders regarding the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on white-collar jobs. The central theme is the disagreement over the potential scale and speed of job displacement caused by AI advancements. ### Key Findings and Divergent Opinions: The core of the discussion revolves around the predictions made by **Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei**, who has voiced significant concerns about AI's potential to disrupt the job market. In contrast, many other industry leaders express a more optimistic or nuanced view. * **Dario Amodei's Warning:** * Amodei has warned that AI could **"wipe out 50% of entry-level office jobs"** within the next five years. * He believes that other AI companies and the government are **"sugarcoating"** the risks associated with breakthrough AI technologies. * Amodei emphasizes the **duty of AI producers to be honest** about the coming changes, stating that the rapid advancement of large language models is not yet on people's radar. * **Counterarguments and Optimistic Views:** * **Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO):** * Altman **disagrees with Amodei's dire predictions**, stating that society's "inertia" would prevent such a rapid and widespread job loss. * He believes that while some jobs will disappear, **"the new jobs will be better, and people will have better stuff."** * Altman argues that the notion of half the jobs being gone in a year or two or five is **"not how society really works."** * **Jensen Huang (Nvidia CEO):** * Huang **"pretty much disagree[s] with almost everything"** Amodei says, viewing Amodei's stance as overly fearful and suggesting that AI development should be done "in the open" for safety and responsibility. * He is **more optimistic**, believing AI will change jobs, including his own, but frames it as a positive evolution. * **Marc Benioff (Salesforce CEO):** * Benioff **does not see evidence of AI sparking mass changes** in the workforce and encourages people to **"shed their fear."** * He views AI as a **"radical augmentation of the workforce"** rather than a cause for mass layoffs. * Benioff states that his customers are not reporting layoffs due to AI advancements. * **Mark Cuban:** * Cuban believes AI will be a **job creator**, predicting that **"New companies with new jobs will come from AI and increase TOTAL employment."** * He draws a parallel to historical job displacements, like the decline of secretaries and dictation employees, which were replaced by new roles. * **Concerns and Nuanced Positions:** * **Jim Farley (Ford CEO):** * Farley **agrees with Amodei's concern** that AI will wipe out white-collar jobs, stating, **"Artificial intelligence is going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the US."** * He expresses concern about the US education system's focus on four-year degrees over trades. * **Andy Jassy (Amazon CEO):** * Jassy has informed employees that AI will lead to **workforce reduction**. * He anticipates that as Generative AI and agents are rolled out, **"We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs."** * **Sebastian Siemiatkowski (Klarna CEO):** * Siemiatkowski believes AI could **cause a recession due to the sheer number of job cuts**. * He emphasizes the need for honesty and preparation for these changes. * **Call for Evidence:** * **Brad Lightcap (OpenAI COO):** * Lightcap **challenges Amodei to provide evidence** for his claims, stating, **"We have no evidence of this."** * He argues that every technological shift, including the advent of Microsoft Excel, has changed the job market, but not necessarily to the extent Amodei suggests. ### Key Statistics and Metrics: * **50%:** The percentage of entry-level white-collar jobs that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts AI could eliminate. * **5 years:** The timeframe within which Amodei believes these significant job displacements could occur. * **2 million:** The historical number of secretaries that Mark Cuban cited as an example of past job displacement. * **40 percent:** The percentage of people working in agriculture in 1900, contrasted with 2 percent today, to illustrate significant shifts in employment due to technology. ### Significant Trends and Changes: The report highlights a significant **divergence of opinion** among major tech and business leaders regarding the immediate and long-term impact of AI on white-collar employment. While some foresee widespread job losses, others anticipate job augmentation and the creation of new roles. The speed of AI advancement is a common point of discussion, with some believing it will outpace previous technological shifts. ### Notable Risks or Concerns: * **Mass Job Displacement:** The primary concern raised by Amodei and Farley is the potential for AI to eliminate a substantial portion of white-collar jobs. * **Societal Inertia:** Altman believes society's natural resistance to rapid change will mitigate the most extreme predictions. * **Lack of Preparedness:** Amodei and Siemiatkowski suggest that society is not adequately prepared for the scale of changes AI might bring. * **Education System Mismatch:** Farley points to the education system's focus on traditional degrees as a potential vulnerability in the face of AI-driven job market shifts. ### Important Recommendations: While no explicit recommendations are made by the report itself, the discussions imply the need for: * **Honest and evidence-based communication** about AI's potential impacts from technology producers. * **Societal preparation** for significant shifts in the job market. * **Adaptation and reskilling** to embrace new roles created by AI. * **Transparency and open development** in AI to ensure responsible implementation.
Here’s what the biggest names in tech and business think AI means for white-collar jobs
Read original at Business Insider →A composite image of Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Jensen HuangGetty Images The biggest names in tech don't agree on what AI means for white-collar jobs.Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei sparked fears when he said that AI could wipe out 50% of entry-level office jobs.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman doesn't see such a risk.
He's not alone.Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei issued a warning in May that AI is going to wipe out entry-level white-collar jobsHe said other AI companies and the government are "sugarcoating" the risks of breakthrough technologies within the next five years.Other CEOs and business leaders have disagreed or framed the change with more optimism.
"And the hard part about this is, I think it will happen faster than previous technological changes. But I think the new jobs will be better, and people will have better stuff," OpenAI CEO said in June.Here's what some of the biggest names in tech and business are saying about the future of jobs.Dario AmodeiAnthropic CEO Dario Amodei voiced concerns about AI that got his whole industry talking.
Chesnot/Getty Images Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei kicked off the conversation by warning about how quickly large language models are advancing."We, as the producers of this technology, have a duty and an obligation to be honest about what is coming," Amodei told Axios. "I don't think this is on people's radar."
Amodei said it can seem weird that the AI companies would warn about their own technology."Well, what if they're right?" Amodei said. Sam AltmanOpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously said society doesn't allow for the type of change of which Amodei is warning.Justin Sullivan via Getty Images OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said some jobs will go away, but society will adapt."
And the hard part about this is, I think it will happen faster than previous technological changes. But I think the new jobs will be better, and people will have better stuff," Altman said during a live episode of The New York Times' "Hard Fork" podcast in June.Altman said that even if it were true that such a large number of jobs were about to be wiped out, "the inertia of society" wouldn't allow for it."
And the take that half the jobs are going to be gone in a year or two years or five years or whatever — I think that's just — I think that's not how society really works," he said. "Even if the technology weren't ready for that, the inertia of society, which will be helpful in this case, is like — there's a lot of mass there."
Jensen HuangNvidia CEO Jensen Huang is much more of an AI optimist.Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang didn't mince words."I pretty much disagree with almost everything he says," Huang told reporters of Amoedi's views at VivaTech 2025 in Paris. "He thinks AI is so scary, but only they should do it."
Huang said that he's much more optimistic."If you want things to be done safely and responsibly, you should do it in the open," Huang said, likening AI development to medical research, where transparency and peer review are essential. "I believe AI is not that expensive. Do I think AI will change jobs?
It will change everyone's — it's changed mine." Marc BenioffSalesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he's not seeing evidence of AI sparking mass changes in the workforce.Markus Schreiber/AP Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said he's seeing no evidence of such a near-immediate upheaval."That isn't how I see AI," Benioff said during a recent onstage interview at the 2025 AI for Good Global Summit.
"Maybe they have AI, I don't have. But in the AI I have, it's not going to be some huge mass layoff of white-collar workers, it is a radical augmentation of the workforce."Benioff encouraged people to "shed their fear" about AI."When I'm talking to our customers, I'm not hearing them say, "Oh, now I'm laying off these people because this A,B,C technology increase because of AI.'
So, I think we need to somehow shed the fear of what that all means." Jim FarleyFord CEO Jim Farley also thinks AI will wipe out white-collar jobs.Rebecca Cook/Reuters Ford CEO Jim Farley said he sees problems ahead."Artificial intelligence is going to replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the US," Farley said during an appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Farley said he's concerned that too much of the American education system is focused on four-year degrees instead of trades. Mark CubanMark Cuban sees AI as a job creator.Julia Beverly/WireImage/Getty Images Mark Cuban said the situation will be the opposite of Amodei's warning."Someone needs to remind the CEO that at one point there were more than 2m secretaries.
There were also separate employees to do in office dictation. They were the original white collar displacements," Cuban wrote on in a post on Bluesky."New companies with new jobs will come from AI and increase TOTAL employment," he continued. Brad LightcapOpenAI's COO Brad Lightcap wants Amodei to provide more evidence for his claims.
STR/Getty Images Like Altman, OpenAI's COO Brad Lightcap doesn't see the sky falling."We have no evidence of this," Lightcap said during the "Hard Fork" podcast taping. "And Dario is a scientist. And I would hope he takes an evidence-based approach to these types of things."Lightcap said that every technology changes the job market."
I think every time you get a platform shift, you get a change in the job market," he said." I mean, in 1900, 40 percent of people worked in agriculture. It's 2 percent today. Microsoft Excel has probably been the greatest job displacer of the 20th century." Andy JassyAmazon CEO Andy Jassy already told employees that AI will lead to a workforce reduction.
REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that AI is already changing workflows. He said it will soon lead to a reduction in some jobs."As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done," Jassy said in a memo posted to the Amazon website. "We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs."
Sebastian SiemiatkowskiKlarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski says he wants toDave Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Klarna Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said AI may cause a recession due to the sheer number of job cuts."I don't want to be one of them," Siemiatkowski said of CEOs who downplay the changes AI will bring.
"I want to be honest, I want to be fair, and I want to tell what I see so that society can start taking preparations."
