Sam Altman Says There’s No AI Jobs Apocalypse, But Today’s Other Headlines Complicate That
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His explanation for why the displacement hasn’t arrived faster centers on what he calls the “human part” of work. He tried having AI respond to his Slack messages and emails on his behalf, saying, “This is Sam’s AI.” He found himself going back to answering personally. He took that as evidence that the human element of work is stickier than technology might suggest, and that instinct will protect many jobs.
The timing deserves to be on the table: Altman made these remarks weeks before OpenAI expects to confidentially file for a U.S. IPO targeting a $1 trillion valuation and raising at least $60 billion. He also acknowledged that HSBC, Amazon, Standard Chartered, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia have all announced AI-driven cuts. The displacement exists. He’s arguing about scale and pace.
I read it differently: Altman is underselling. Entry-level white-collar hiring hasn’t collapsed yet because companies move slower than the technology does, and plenty of employers are still working out which roles to cut and which to restructure. AI can do the work. The org charts just haven’t caught up. From a staffing perspective, entry-level roles are harder to land, salaries for junior office positions are flattening, and clients are openly questioning whether they need three analysts when one plus an AI tool can handle it. That erosion shows up in hiring volume long before it shows up in unemployment data. Groupon and Wix, both announcing AI-driven layoffs today, are a reminder that the wave is accelerating.
States Are Moving to Ban Ghost Job Postings – One in Three U.S. Listings May Be Fake
While Altman debates the pace of AI displacement, a more immediate workforce problem is getting legislative attention: ghost job postings. At least five state legislatures are actively reviewing bills to restrict or ban the practice, with New York’s bills already having passed the state Senate.
The scale of the problem is striking. In a 2024 MyPerfectResume survey of 753 U.S. recruiters, 8 in 10 admitted their companies post jobs that are filled or don’t exist. A separate Resume Builder survey of 649 companies found 4 in 10 hiring managers admitted posting fake jobs, with 13% saying they’d posted 75 or more fake listings.
The motives are worth reading carefully. 62% of hiring managers admit to using ghost postings specifically to make current employees feel replaceable. 66% use them to project the appearance that the company is growing. 59% use them to harvest resumes for future use that may never arrive. 7 in 10 hiring managers still view the practice as acceptable.
Pennsylvania’s “Ghost Job Postings Prevention Act” (HB2321) is the most comprehensive bill on the table. It would require employers to state whether a job is real, specify hiring timelines, disclose how many times a position has been reposted in the prior year, and require listings to be removed within two weeks of being filled. It also prohibits employers from mining or selling applicant data or retaining it longer than one year. New Jersey’s S2136 and New York’s S8877, which passed the state Senate 39-19 in late April, would require employers to disclose whether a posting is for a current vacancy. At the federal level, the proposed Truth in Job Advertising and Accountability Act hasn’t found a congressional sponsor, though a 2025 Congressional Research Service report concluded ghost postings may already violate Section 5(a) of the FTC Act.
The macro consequence often gets overlooked. Ghost postings corrupt the labor market data that monetary policy runs on. “Ghost jobs can even corrupt the economic data that inform critical nationwide policy decisions, such as the size and timing of federal interest rate cuts,” wrote Daniel J. Grimm, former federal agency attorney and deputy general counsel for DV Trading, in the 2025 Columbia Law Review Forum.
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Layoff Watch – Groupon and Wix Both Cut to Fund AI Bets
Two more companies announced AI-driven workforce reductions today.
Groupon is cutting up to 400 employees, nearly 25% of its 1,734-person global workforce, to rebuild as what it’s calling an “AI-native company.” The company expects $7 to $13 million in pretax charges and projects $20 to $25 million in annualized savings, though about half of this year’s net savings will be reinvested into marketing, AI infrastructure, and “talent density.” Shares jumped roughly 5%, and Groupon raised its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance to $75 to $80 million. Most cuts will be complete by the end of Q3, and the company says it continues to evaluate further automation actions, meaning this may not be the last round. COO Jiri Ponrt separately announced he’s resigning effective July 10, voluntarily and without severance.
Wix is a different kind of story. The Israeli website-building platform is preparing to cut approximately 1,000 employees, roughly 20% of its 5,277-person workforce, and the largest layoff in the company’s history. Stock is down nearly 50% year-to-date. Q1 produced a net loss of $57.5 million despite revenue rising 14% to $541 million, with operating expenses jumping 50% to $423 million. The culprit is AI investment. Wix acquired the Base44 “vibe-coding” platform last year, and its ARR hit $150 million in May, but running it requires substantial compute costs, and the founder received an additional $38 million in Q1 alone under the acquisition agreement. Wix is also building its own AI model for its Harmony website-building system. Unlike Wix’s earlier COVID-era cuts that targeted customer service and support, this round will affect every department. The company declined to comment.
Frequently Asked Questions
He said AI hasn’t eliminated as many entry-level white-collar jobs as he once feared, calling himself “pretty wrong” on AI’s social and economic impact. He acknowledged that companies, including Amazon, HSBC, and Standard Chartered, have made AI-driven cuts. He’s arguing that the displacement has been slower and smaller than he predicted.
A ghost job posting is a listing for a position that doesn’t exist or has already been filled. Surveys suggest 8 in 10 recruiters admit their companies post them. Common motives include harvesting resumes for future use, projecting the appearance of growth, and making current employees feel replaceable.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, California, and Kentucky are the five states with active legislation. New York’s bill (S8877) passed the state Senate 39-19 and awaits the Assembly. Pennsylvania’s bill is the most comprehensive, covering disclosure requirements, hiring timelines, reposting history, and a ban on selling applicant data.
