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What's weird to me is that they say 'well, with AI we need less people for the same output.' Why is the conversation rarely framed 'with AI we will move faster

What's weird to me is that they say 'well, with AI we need less people for the same output.' Why is the conversation rarely framed 'with AI we will move faster and have more output'? It feels like companies would be well served to expand their product teams and roadmaps to go bigger, but instead choose to hold the pace now with less headcount.

testing22321 1y ago
Reducing expenses and increasing profit NOW is the goal of shortsighted leaders. Who cares about any other path - get rich quick!!
lpapez 1y ago
Less headcount usually means faster pace - less lines of comminication, less red tape etc. Or at least that's what many C-level people believe to be true. "We need to move like a startup" is a common mantra repeated by executives, even megacorps like Amazon. I guess it's true to some degree though, anecdotally as an IC at a tech company, I feel like I could move a lot faster if some people around me removed and replaced by an automation instead.
- spwa4 1y ago
  But that's not the claim being made. It's about only slightly lowering output or even reducing output for a much larger reduction in spending. What they're doing is "doing less with less", as they say.
jayd16 1y ago
The moving faster is how it would work in a good economy with investment dollars. We're in a cycle where we need excuses to lay people off so that's AIs main use case.
matwood 1y ago
Once the dust settles around AI, I agree with you. Unless we think the collective company's backlogs are going to stop being infinite, then any extra productivity that can be gained will be gained. With that said, I think AI is just cover for the current set of layoffs. Companies are still right sizing from the pandemic/ZIRP over-hiring. Additionally, while none will say it at the risk of angering the administration, the economic uncertainty based on how someone is feeling day to day means companies want to derisk.

testing22321 1y ago

Reducing expenses and increasing profit NOW is the goal of shortsighted leaders. Who cares about any other path - get rich quick!!

lpapez 1y ago

Less headcount usually means faster pace - less lines of comminication, less red tape etc. Or at least that's what many C-level people believe to be true. "We need to move like a startup" is a common mantra repeated by executives, even megacorps like Amazon. I guess it's true to some degree though, anecdotally as an IC at a tech company, I feel like I could move a lot faster if some people around me removed and replaced by an automation instead.

spwa4 1y ago
But that's not the claim being made. It's about only slightly lowering output or even reducing output for a much larger reduction in spending. What they're doing is "doing less with less", as they say.

jayd16 1y ago

The moving faster is how it would work in a good economy with investment dollars. We're in a cycle where we need excuses to lay people off so that's AIs main use case.

matwood 1y ago

Once the dust settles around AI, I agree with you. Unless we think the collective company's backlogs are going to stop being infinite, then any extra productivity that can be gained will be gained. With that said, I think AI is just cover for the current set of layoffs. Companies are still right sizing from the pandemic/ZIRP over-hiring. Additionally, while none will say it at the risk of angering the administration, the economic uncertainty based on how someone is feeling day to day means companies want to derisk.