Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, recently warned that up to half of all entry-level white-collar jobs could vanish within five years. I agree with the premise, but I do not see it as a tragedy. Instead, I see it as the beginning of a major workforce reset that will unfold in two distinct phases.
The first is the efficiency wave. Many enterprise leaders I speak with are simply waiting for the green light to cut costs with AI. Once the business case is clear, layoffs will likely come fast, especially in repetitive, entry-level office roles. This initial period will be focused purely on consolidation and efficiency gains.
However, a second, more crucial phase will follow: the reinvention wave. History shows that when technology compresses costs, it also accelerates product cycles. Suddenly, you need more hands on deck—just in different seats. Many of these new roles are still being invented.
This is why I remain optimistic. Companies that rush through the first phase without planning for the second will hit a talent wall. The strategic opportunity lies in pivoting quickly from cost-cutting to capability-building. Leaders who retrain and reassign their people will capture the upside of the reinvention wave faster and keep their culture intact. I believe this second wave will arrive sooner than we think.