The real pivot was from operating by growth at all cost to maximizing revenue per employee. The game is still the same - keeping the valuations as high as possi

The real pivot was from operating by growth at all cost to maximizing revenue per employee. The game is still the same - keeping the valuations as high as possible - but now it's measured differently from the POV of investors. AI is just the buzzword of this hype cycle. Everyone is looking for solutions that have AI in them because FOMO, and it also alleviates fears of productivity loss in relation to layoffs: we can do more with less because something something AI! The third reason is probably that headcount was bloated in the first place to keep talent locked away from competitors. Now that the market shifted companies don't have to do that as workers have to compete for a shrinking number of positions.