How to help people who lose their jobs to AI

How to help people who lose their jobs to AI

In the fifth episode of the Platformer podcast, Brookings senior fellow Molly Kinder argues that the AI jobs debate is stuck in a useless seesaw between apocalypse and denial — and that the real danger lies in the "messy middle," where AI doesn't kill most jobs but concentrates its damage on some of the most coveted careers in America. Her rule of thumb: if you can do your job locked in a closet with a computer, you're probably in trouble. Platformer's Casey Newton talks to the author of "The Messy Middle" about why white-collar workers will feel AI before blue-collar workers do, whether AI is about to reverse the 50-year boom in knowledge work, how the jobs that were safest during COVID became the riskiest in the AI era, why de-skilling could quietly turn $85,000 jobs into minimum-wage ones, why cutting everyone a UBI check would destroy the labor market, and what targeted policies — from a workforce reinvestment fund to wage insurance — might actually manage the transition. Kinder also breaks some news: after three years leading Brookings' research on AI and work, she reveals — on her last day at the think tank — that she's launching a new organization devoted to solving, not just studying, the AI jobs problem. Plus, Platformer fellow Ella Markianos joins at the top of the show to discuss this week's news about AI and jobs. Sponsored by Atlassian Rovo | Become an AI-native team with Rovo. https://www.atlassian.com/rovo [https://www.atlassian.com/rovo] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

A labor economist explains why AI won't take your job

In the fourth episode of the Platformer podcast, labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards makes the case that the AI jobs panic is overblown — and that the real threat to workers isn't the technology, but a government that refuses to fix the social safety net. She also flatly rejects Sam Altman's vision of a permanently unemployed "idle class," which she calls not just wrong but classist. Platformer's Casey Newton talks to the Bloomberg Opinion columnist and co-host of the Optimist Economy podcast about why economists can't — and shouldn't bother to — pin down exactly how many jobs AI will destroy, whether the recent wave of AI-blamed layoffs is real or just "AI-washing," what's actually squeezing entry-level workers, what she tells new grads who can't find a first job, why writing everyone a UBI check isn't a panacea, and whether Washington will ever build the safety net we already know how to build. Edwards also explains why the closest thing we've seen to an "AI rapture" already happened — in the spring of 2020, when half of the leisure and hospitality industry lost their jobs in three weeks — and how the economy managed to claw its way back. Plus, Platformer fellow Ella Markianos joins at the top of the show to discuss the chipmakers handing out massive bonuses, as workers at Samsung and TSMC win a bigger share of the AI boom. Who else should we have on this show? Let us know at casey@platformer.news. Sponsored by Atlassian Rovo | Become an AI-native team with Rovo. https://www.atlassian.com/rovo [https://www.atlassian.com/rovo] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Claude Code creator Boris Cherny on the end of the software engineer

In the third episode of the Platformer podcast, Claude Code creator Boris Cherny explains how he's automating his own job. He hasn't written a line of code in more than six months, and thinks the title "software engineer" could start to disappear as soon as this year. Platformer's Casey Newton talks to the inventor of the fastest-growing AI coding tool in the world about what Cherny actually means when he says coding is "solved," why he predicts companies will need both far fewer engineers and far more of them, what he tells new computer science grads about where to build a career now, and whether all this added productivity will ever let anyone work less. (Hint: so far, it just means doing more). Cherny also explains the surprise that keeps upending his own predictions: the people getting the most out of AI tools are increasingly electricians, doctors, and carpenters rather than professional engineers. Plus, Platformer fellow Ella Markianos joins at the top of the show to discuss a new Microsoft study on AI and jobs. Disclosure: Casey's fiancé works at Anthropic. Who else should we have on this show? Let us know at casey@platformer.news. Sponsored by Atlassian Rovo | Become an AI-native team with Rovo. https://www.atlassian.com/rovo [https://www.atlassian.com/rovo] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why Doomers Are Wrong about AI and Jobs with Google's James Manyika

In the second episode of the Platformer podcast, Google SVP James Manyika makes a bet: AI is not going to wipe out half of white-collar jobs in the next two years, no matter what the AI CEOs keep telling you. Platformer's Casey Newton talks to one of tech's most credentialed thinkers on AI and the economy about why labor markets move slower than the technology, what the "missed use" of AI means for countries the boom risks leaving behind, and what really keeps him up at night about AI and work (hint: it's not job loss). Plus: Platformer fellow Ella Markianos brings us a fresh survey of economists on what *they* think will happen with AI and jobs. Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/james-manyika-google-ai-jobs-io-2026/ [https://www.platformer.news/james-manyika-google-ai-jobs-io-2026/] Who else should we have on this show? Let us know at casey@platformer.news. Sponsored by Atlassian Rovo | Become an AI-native team with Rovo. https://www.atlassian.com/rovo [https://www.atlassian.com/rovo] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The best argument I’ve heard for why AI won't take your job with Box CEO Aaron Levie

In the first episode of the Platformer podcast, Box CEO Aaron Levie makes the case that you'll keep your job — you just won't recognize it. Casey talks to one of enterprise tech's most optimistic voices on why the "SaaSpocalypse" thesis is wrong, what the seat-based SaaS model really looks like in an agentic world, and why he thinks AI is going to create more jobs than it kills. Plus: Platformer fellow Ella Markianos talks about fresh survey data that shows a surprising divide in who's actually using AI at work. Read the newsletter here: https://platformer.news/ai-job-loss-box-ceo-aaron-levie/ [https://platformer.news/ai-job-loss-box-ceo-aaron-levie/ ] Who else should we have on this show? Let us know at casey@platformer.news [casey@platformer.news]. Sponsored by Atlassian Rovo | Become an AI-native team with Rovo. atlassian.com/rovo [http://atlassian.com/rovo] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.