I have been reading a few articles on the Microsoft buyout/retrenchment package deal offered to up to 60 000 staff members. They say this is not down to AI yet it looks highly likely this is the real reason.
Microsoft being a software company is having to pivot as from the little I know and from others I know in the industry most companies will be self sufficient within the next 5 years developing their own software requirements. This is all down to AI as this new tech is gaining traction fast and will out perform humans.
Microsoft has been investing heavily into AI and data centers as their new business model is geared around charging their clients for using the Azure Cloud and AI tools like Copilot. Revenue is up 123% year on year and where the Microsoft future lies and is a case of moving with the times.
Removing the human element will over time increase profits even though the spend and capital invested in these new areas is very large. I was amazed when I was doing research last week with the Google Cloud and how much revenue this was generating for Google so this is where the tech companies are currently and are making massive profits.
Reading between the lines going into software these days is not a great career move with a reported exposure to AI with a job risk factor of 80-90%. Things are changing rapidly and the pace of this human replacement will only quicken from here on out. I have no clue what options are open to these people with regard to other lines of work opportunities and at what sort of salary. Possibly manufacturing machine programming and working with robotics is where many are destined for but not enough roles for the 30 million plus software engineers currently working globally.
A quick search highlights many other fields that are exposed to AI and those jobs will disappear. Specialty fields like interpreters, proof readers, copy writers and translators will not be required in the same numbers we have now.
Hiring of young employees has dropped as more experienced staff have had to increase their work load using AI so the need for staff is not required. This I guess is an obvious result and you wonder how long before those using the AI are replaced and their numbers dwindle off.
The one I disagree with is call centers and booking agents as from a personal experience a machine cannot replace a human. Many businesses will go down this route, but you still need humans behind the scenes to cover the areas or complaints AI cannot. Even now telemarketers using automated systems will not achieve the same targets a human would. Lately I have noticed many automated calls coming through and I switch them off immediately.
Other careers like market and financial analysts will be under pressure even though there must be room for personal financial analysts because having person to person contact with finance will still be sought after.
Having a skilled trade like being a plumber or electrician does not look so stupid now and expect that many youngsters will be looking at getting into the various trades because at least there will be job security. Gone are the days of becoming an accountant or architect as those careers have no future and we have to adapt and think very differently.