Eric Schmidt predicts AI assistants will reshape senior management and cut thousands of jobs

During an episode of the "In Good Company" podcast, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt outlined how AI agents could serve as personal assistants to CEOs, scanning company activity for alignment with leadership values, nudging projects forward and identifying revenue opportunities. He argued that this technology would accelerate decision-making and flatten organizational hierarchies, lessening the reliance on staff who traditionally coordinate and disseminate information.

Schmidt pointed to real-world trials, including two founders who receive weekly AI-generated alerts on value conflicts and an executive who created an AI version of himself to oversee employee progress. While acknowledging the speed at which AI models evolve—six months to build, two to test, and five months to be outpaced—he dismissed the notion of an AI bubble, citing Anthropic’s rapid revenue growth. For a company of 10,000 employees, Schmidt guessed AI could render "a couple of thousand" positions unnecessary, referencing a friend who cut 20% of staff and faced backlash. He concluded that firms must handle such transitions legally and humanely, preserving roles that involve product creation, sales, regulation and leadership.