AI Breaks Career Ladders
December 2, 2025
Another dinobaby original. If there is what passes for art, you bet your bippy, that I used smart software. I am a grandpa but not a Grandma Moses.
My father used to tell me that it was important to work at a company and climb the career ladder. I did not understand the concept. In my first job, I entered at a reasonably elevated level. I reported to a senior vice president and was given a big, messy project to fix up and make successful. In my second job, I was hired to report to the president of a “group” of companies. I don’t think I had a title. People referred to me as Mr. X’s “get things done person.” My father continued to tell me about the career ladder, but it did not resonate with me.
Thanks Venice.ai. I fired five prompts before you came close to what I specified. Good work, considering.
Only later, when I ran my own small consulting firm did the concept connect. I realized that as people worked on tasks, some demonstrated exceptional skill. I tried to find ways to expand those individuals capabilities. I think I succeeded, and several have contacted me years after I retired to tell me they were grateful for the opportunities I provided.
Imagine my surprise when I read “The Career Ladder Just Got Terminated: AI Kills Jobs Before They’re Born.” I understand. Co workers have no way to learn and earn the right to pursue different opportunities in order to grow their capabilities.
The write up says:
Artificial intelligence isn’t just taking jobs. It’s removing the rungs of the ladder that turn rookies into experts.
Here’s a statement from the rock and roll magazine that will make some young, bright eyed overachievers nervous:
In addition to making labor more efficient, it [AI] actually makes labor optional. And the disruption won’t unfold over generations like past revolutions; it’s happening in real time, collapsing decades of economic evolution into a few short years.
Forget optional. If software can replace hard to manage, unpredictable, and good enough humans, AI will get the nod. The goal of most organizations is to generate surplus cash. Then that cash is disbursed to stakeholders, deserving members of the organization’s leadership, and lavish off site meetings, among other important uses.
Here’s another passage that unintentionally will make art history majors, programmers, and, yes, even some MBA with the right stuff think about becoming a plumber:
And this AI job problem isn’t confined to entertainment. It’s happening in law, medicine, finance, architecture, engineering, journalism — you name it. But not every field faces the same cliff. There’s one place where the apprenticeship still happens in real time: live entertainment and sports.
Perhaps there will be an MBA Comedy Club? Maybe some computer scientists will lean into their athletic prowess for table tennis or quoits?
Here’s another cause of heart burn for the young job hunter:
Today, AI isn’t hunting our heroes; it’s erasing their apprentices before they can exist. The bigger danger is letting short-term profits dictate our long-term cultural destiny. If the goal is simply to make the next quarter’s numbers look good, then automating and cutting is the easy answer. But if the goal is culture, originality and progress, then the choice is just as clear: protect the training grounds, take risks on the unknown and invest in the people who will surprise us.
I don’t see the BAIT (big AI technology companies) leaning into altruistic behavior for society. These outfits want to win, knock off the competition, and direct the masses to work within the bowling alley of life between two gutters. Okay, job hunters, have at it. As a dinobaby, I have no idea what it impact job hunting in the early days of AI will have. Did I mention plumbing?
Stephen E Arnold, December 2, 2025
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