Is AI Really Why Everyone's Getting Laid Off?

Uber told one team their jobs were cut to "embrace AI." Six weeks later, the company cut 3,300 more jobs — and never mentioned AI once. Same company, same year, opposite explanations. So which one do you believe?

In this episode, Dan and Mina dig into the real evidence behind 2026's wave of layoffs at Uber, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google — and find something stranger than a simple "AI took the jobs" story. Google's headcount actually grew while its CEO talked up "AI-native" restructuring. Meta laid off people from inside its own AI division. And three companies — Ford, IBM, and Klarna — quietly walked back AI-driven cuts after discovering exactly what AI couldn't do.

The real question isn't whether AI is responsible. It's whether companies are shrinking — or just chan ...