### AI Gets the Blame for 55,000 Layoffs, But CFOs Are the Real Culprits

The headlines are stark and unsettling. Reports circulate that artificial intelligence is responsible for tens of thousands of job cuts, with one recent analysis pointing to a staggering 55,000 layoffs attributed to the rise of AI. The narrative is simple and terrifying: the machines are coming for our jobs, and the culling has already begun. But this narrative, while compelling, is a convenient fiction. It places the blame on a nebulous, non-human entity, obscuring the real decision-makers hiding behind the algorithm: the Chief Financial Officers.

AI has become the perfect corporate scapegoat. When a company announces layoffs, the traditional reasons—over-hiring, poor forecasting, or a simple failure to compete—sound like management malpractice. They suggest a human error at the top. But blaming AI? That sounds innovative. It frames the company not as a business correcting its mistakes, but as a forward-thinking organization embracing the future and “optimizing for efficiency.” It’s a masterful piece of public relations that turns a painful, often messy, cost-cutting exercise into a story of technological progress.

The truth is, technology doesn’t make decisions; people do. And in the corporate world, the person most focused on the bottom line is the CFO. For the past decade, a zero-interest-rate environment fueled a “growth at all costs” mentality, particularly in the tech sector. Companies hired aggressively, expanding headcounts to capture market share. Now, with rising interest rates and intense pressure from investors to deliver profits, the directive from the boardroom has changed. The new mandate is lean, mean, and profitable.

This is the CFO’s moment to shine. Their primary responsibility is to the financial health of the company and the value delivered to shareholders. When they look at a balance sheet, a massive payroll is the most obvious and impactful expense to cut. Layoffs, from a purely financial perspective, are the quickest lever to pull to boost margins and satisfy Wall Street. In the past, these cuts were simply called “restructuring” or “right-sizing.” Today, they have a shiny new justification: the AI revolution.

CFOs and CEOs are using the *promise* of future AI-driven efficiency to justify headcount reductions *today*. They see the potential for AI to automate tasks and streamline workflows, and they are making financial bets on that future by shedding staff now. The problem is, in many cases, the technology isn’t actually mature enough to fully replace the roles being eliminated. The remaining employees are often left to pick up the slack, leading to burnout and a decline in quality, while the C-suite gets to report improved operating margins to a pleased board of directors.

So, while AI is certainly a transformative technology that will reshape the labor market over time, it is not the autonomous executioner it’s made out to be. It’s a tool, and right now, it’s being used as a rationale. The decision to lay off 55,000 people wasn’t made by a neural network calculating optimal workforce distribution. It was made by executives in a conference room looking at spreadsheets, pressured by market forces and driven by financial targets. Before we blame the bot, we need to look at the budget. The real story isn’t about technology’s inevitable march; it’s about old-fashioned, human-led corporate finance.