Tech leaders are increasingly portraying artificial intelligence as less likely to trigger widespread job losses, reversing a more apocalyptic narrative that had been prominent over the past year. The Wall Street Journal reports that, in recent months, CEOs have moved toward language emphasizing productivity improvements and continued worker centrality rather than large-scale displacement. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, speaking in late May, says earlier technological predictions were broadly correct while social and economic implications were not as severe as expected. In a separate CNBC interview, he adds that the industry underestimated how much it can keep people at the center of work. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei similarly points to more flexible outcomes for companies using AI, saying organizations can accomplish more with the same resources through creativity, rather than relying primarily on layoffs.
The shift is also reflected in broader CEO sentiment. An EY-Parthenon survey found the share of CEOs expecting significant reductions in headcount from AI investment fell from about 46% in January 2025 to 20% in May. Economists cited in the reporting suggest CEOs may have adjusted their expectations after observing that the labor market has not changed as quickly or radically as anticipated.
