AI fearmongering could be one of many factors, but the fact remains that most companies were way overstaffed going into the pandemic. People offer these reasons

AI fearmongering could be one of many factors, but the fact remains that most companies were way overstaffed going into the pandemic. People offer these reasons because they are credible explanations for mass intersectional layoffs. It's not very gratifying to the average sci-fi fan, but the economic incentives to lay people off were much stronger than the technological ones.