CEOs Layoffs & AI: Boosting Employee Skills
Good morning. at a recent CEO dinner in New York, conversation turned to the topic of jobs. 2025 was an underwhelming year for U.S. job growth-adding 584,000 jobs compared to 2 million in 2024-and this year is likely to be more of the same. (Strip out health care and social assistance industries, and the U.S. lost jobs last year.)
But the question being debated was how to talk about possible job cuts in relation to AI. “I’d rather focus on AI than falling demand,” one attendee said. “At least you look ahead of the curve instead of behind it.”
Last year,U.S. employers explicitly blamed AI for 55,000 of the 1.17 million job cuts, according to Challenger, Gray & christmas. That’s fewer than 5% of layoffs. AI is not yet the bête noire nor the magic elixir that people have made it out to be.(Forgive the mixed metaphors there; proof of a human at the helm.) in August, MIT released a study that found 95% of generative AI pilots fail to generate meaningful return.
And yet we’re all hearing predictions about how AI is going to impact jobs, from gutting knowledge work to creating an army of AI-enhanced humans who will achieve more in 5 hours than most of us do in 5 days. If my dinner conversation is anything to go by, leaders are quite happy to stoke that debate. Here’s why:
It motivates employees. The prospect of AI can spark both fear and fascination. In either case, talking about it externally and internally is a great way to get people motivated to learn about it.The productivity boost, especially in areas like coding, can be significant. Tying it to job cuts is code for telling everyone to learn it.
It can excite investors. UPS stock jumped 8% the day that CEO Carol Tomé announced 48,000 jobs had been cut in “the most significant strategic shift” in company history. Research from the IMF, Deloitte and others confirm that public companies are quicker to resort to layoffs than their private counterparts. “I think it’s too early to quantify,” one dinner attendee told me, “but AI impacts how we think about hiring and firing.”
Tehran has proposed talks
Tehran has proposed talks as the management weighs its options.
Trump targets Exxon
President Trump has threatened to sideline Exxon Mobil on future Venezuela oil projects for “playing too cute.” In a Friday meeting between Trump and oil company executives, Exxon CEO Darren Woods called the Venezuelan market “uninvestable” in its current state, a comment that seemed to draw Trump’s ire.
CEO who laid off employees that rejected AI would do it again
IgniteTech CEO Eric Vaughan laid off almost 80% of his employees two years ago as they wouldn’t adopt AI. He told Fortune it was “extremely arduous” but would do it again.
tariff removal could boost jobs
In a social media post over the weekend, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi argued that the removal of President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs would be “the fastest way to boost the job market.” A decision from the Supreme Court on the legality of the tariffs is expected any day now.
How a cap on credit card rates would play out
President Trump indicated his support for a one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates late last week. Some experts
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Fortune.com News Roundup – January 10, 2026
Table of Contents
AI Adoption & Workforce Impact
According to a recent article, Wharton professor Peter Cappelli suggests that implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for job cuts is more complex than frequently enough portrayed. Fortune reports cappelli emphasizes the significant amount of work required for successful AI integration, citing case studies involving Accenture and Ricoh. As of January 12, 2026, there are no major updates contradicting this assessment. Further research into Accenture’s and Ricoh’s AI implementation strategies confirms that large-scale deployments require substantial planning and resource allocation. Accenture and Ricoh official websites provide details on their AI initiatives.
Career Advice & Generational Dynamics
L’Oréal’s Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) has reportedly advised Gen Z employees to proactively assist their managers with tasks like fetching coffee and handling office duties to gain visibility and possibly accelerate their career progression. Fortune details this advice. This advice has sparked debate online regarding workplace expectations and generational differences. L’oréal‘s official website does not currently feature a direct statement on this matter, but their corporate culture information emphasizes employee initiative.
Media & Entertainment Industry Consolidation
Fortune published a story detailing netflix’s growth from a DVD-by-mail service to a major Hollywood player, valued at $82.7 billion. The article references Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, Netflix’s co-founders. As of January 12, 2026, netflix’s market capitalization remains consistent with the reported figure. netflix, Warner Bros. Revelation, and Paramount Global continue to be key players in the streaming and entertainment landscape.
Editorial Team
The “CEO Daily” newsletter is compiled and edited by Joey Abrams, Claire Zillman, and Lee Clifford.
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