AI Layoffs Are Mostly Fiction, CEOs Aren't Seeing ROI, and Robots Are Quietly Taking Over

AI Layoffs Are Mostly Fiction, CEOs Aren't Seeing ROI, and Robots Are Quietly Taking Over

January 20, 2026: Oxford Economics data suggests AI-driven layoffs are still a small slice of overall job cuts, raising questions about whether AI is being used as a convenient explanation for traditional cost cutting. At the same time, Goldman Sachs warns that up to 25% of work hours could be automated—not as a job apocalypse, but as a task-level shock that exposes poorly designed roles.

I also unpack new PwC research showing that most CEOs aren't seeing meaningful ROI from their AI investments yet—and why that failure has more to do with broken workflows and leadership decisions than with the technology itself. Meanwhile, a quieter but more consequential shift is happening as physical AI and robotics move rapidly into logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, and other parts of the real economy. And finally, I explain why ServiceNow's partnership with OpenAI signals AI moving into the core "plumbing" of organizations—where it will force leaders to confront inefficiency, bureaucracy, and outdated ways of working.

Grab a copy of my new book: https://8exlaws.com/

Request to join my CHRO group: https://futureofworkleaders.com/

Episoder(1192)

Ep. 24: The Industrial Internet

Ep. 24: The Industrial Internet

The world as we know it is becoming more and more connected. But, what will a world look like when devices as small as your watch to as large as a jet engine are all connected to each other and to peo...

11 Mar 20151h

Ep. 23: What the Future of Work Will Look Like

Ep. 23: What the Future of Work Will Look Like

Toni Cusumano is a Principal and Technology Sector Human Capital Leader at PwC, and she and her team have been spending a lot of time exploring what the future of work is going to look like. They have...

4 Mar 201555min

Ep. 22: Exponential Organizations

Ep. 22: Exponential Organizations

This week's episode of the future of work podcast is one of my favorites. I talk with Salim Ismail, Founding Executive Director of Singularity University, and co-author of "Exponential Organizations: ...

25 Feb 20151h 14min

Ep. 21: Behind the Scenes of Spiceworks

Ep. 21: Behind the Scenes of Spiceworks

Spiceworks is the world's largest community of global IT professionals that come together online and offline. Spiceworks was recently named by Glassdoor as one of the world's best companies to work fo...

18 Feb 20151h 24min

Ep.19: Overcoming the Skills Gap

Ep.19: Overcoming the Skills Gap

The "skills gap" is inarguably one of the biggest threats for modern day workplaces. Many employers say they can't fill open jobs and employees say that they aren't getting the proper education and tr...

5 Feb 201555min

Ep 20: Corporate Culture

Ep 20: Corporate Culture

MuleSoft is another organization that was recently ranked by Glassdoor as one of the best places to work in America and they have also won plenty of other awards for being a great place to work. Accor...

2 Feb 20151h 9min

Ep. 18: Turning the Ship Around

Ep. 18: Turning the Ship Around

How does a nuclear submarine captain take one of the lowest performing vessels and make them one of the top performing ones? David Marquet did just that and he explains how he did it in his new book, ...

28 Jan 20151h 16min

Ep.17: The Quantified Workplace

Ep.17: The Quantified Workplace

Many people are already using technology to track things in their personal lives such as food they eat, steps they take, sleeping patterns, and much more. However, what if we took this same approach o...

21 Jan 201559min

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