AI Won’t Save Your Job—And That’s Not a Bad Thing, Says Ex-Google Exec

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5 Key Takeaways

• Ex-Google executive Mo Gawdat claims the idea that AI will create jobs is '100% crap' and a 'capitalist lie'.
• AI is expected to replace many roles, including video editors, podcasters, executives, doctors, and teachers.
• Gawdat's startup was built by just three developers using AI, whereas previously it would have required a team of 350.
• Artificial general intelligence will eventually outperform humans in all domains, even leadership positions.
• Gawdat suggests the shift could allow people to focus more on family, hobbies, and personal fulfillment if society embraces change.

Is AI Really Creating More Jobs? A Former Google Exec Says “No Way”
We’ve all heard the story: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to make our lives easier and create tons of new jobs. But is that really true? According to Mo Gawdat, a former top executive at Google, the idea that AI will create more jobs is “100% crap.” In fact, he calls it a “capitalist lie.”
Mo Gawdat, who once served as Chief Business Officer at Google X (the company’s secretive innovation lab), recently spoke out on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast. He didn’t hold back. Gawdat says that not only will AI fail to create new jobs, but it will actually replace many of the ones we have—including high-level positions like CEOs.
To prove his point, Gawdat shared an example from his own startup, Emma.love. The app was built by just three developers using AI. In the past, he says, a project like this would have needed a team of 350 people! That’s a huge difference, and it shows just how much work AI can do on its own.
And it’s not just tech jobs at risk. Gawdat believes that almost every job could be replaced by AI, from video editors and podcasters to doctors and teachers. Even top executives aren’t safe. “There will be a time where most incompetent CEOs will be replaced,” he said. While the best performers might keep their jobs a little longer, Gawdat warns that eventually, even they could be replaced by smarter, faster AI.
So what does this mean for the future of work? Gawdat thinks it’s time to rethink our relationship with jobs altogether. He argues that the idea of spending most of our lives working is outdated. “We were never made to wake up every morning and just occupy 20 hours of our day with work,” he says. According to him, defining our purpose by our jobs is a “capitalist lie.”
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Gawdat sees a silver lining: If we embrace the changes AI brings, we could have more time for family, hobbies, helping others, and discovering who we are beyond our job titles.
In short, while AI might not be the job creator some people claim, it could give us the chance to redefine what really matters in life—if we’re willing to adapt.

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