AI Will Replace You

I had a great conversation with a young founder recently about their AI technology and how, if they are successful, they will change the economics of AI inference. It was wide ranging and amongst the topics was how he saw the economics of AI infrastructure driving not just hyper growth for his company, but also the broader impact on society.

To be transparent and fair, these are my impressions of our conversation. Filtered through 25+ years of experience, of which 20 is managing, coaching and helping people grow their capabilities and careers. My takeaway, yes - AI probably will replace you. Why? Because AI models will get cheaper to run, AI models will get more capable and because that’s what Silicon Valley wants.

That’s the reality of our society. Economics drives everything.

But what struck me, most, was the casualness and conviction with which he stated “AI will replace workers”. Like a comment about the weather - “It’s going to rain on Thursday”. Sure, there were some acknowledgment of the displaced worker's plight - “I feel bad about that”, and rationalization to defend progress - “you know the spreadsheet killed tons of accounting jobs”. But that was all quickly replaced by a bit of excitement at the recognition that as job losses start accelerating, his business will be printing money and his shareholders will be getting their 100x multiple.

I actively listened, nodded, asked about areas where I thought humans could survive this onslaught. Each was parried with an example of how his company is enabling others to push the boundaries and “make AI more human”, faster ... better ... cheaper. Examples, like a trucking company that has automated their dispatch using voice AI such that 80% of their drivers can’t tell the difference between a human and AI.

“Bro. If 80% of their truckers can’t or don’t care about the difference ... “

So yes, the reality is, AI is getting better, AI is getting cheaper, AI is getting more ubiquitous. And the people driving this revolution know that this will cause drastic chaos in our society. But the truth is, they see it as an externality that “others” need to deal with.

So what’s the upshot? Where’s the silver lining? Should you just go ask Claude?

My view? The thesis that “AI will replace everyone” is a lazy read. Chase the savings, hollow out the expertise, then wonder why your product and your customer relationships got worse. The companies who’ll win long-term are the ones who figure out how to compound their human expertise with AI, not the ones who replace it with some generic capability everyone else has access to.

Listen, I’m grounded in the same reality of how Silicon Valley economics influences and reshapes our society. I just see a different outcome. One where your taste, experience, and wisdom, the things that keep you competitive, are yours to keep and scale, not captured and shared within some foundation model. Where margin improvements flow directly to you, not captured by some vendor. Where the best in your workforce is multiplied, not replaced.

Yes. I see your AI replacing you.