Layoffs are everywhere. AI is getting really, really good. And many companies are cutting jobs while profits and productivity rise.
So yeah: it’s tough out there. And the real question isn’t just “Will AI kill your job?” It’s what kind of worker survives — and thrives — in the AI age?
On this episode of TechFirst, I sat down with Nikki Barua, co-founder of Footwork and a longtime founder and executive. We unpack what’s actually happening beneath the headlines … and what people need to change to become AI-ready.
(That’s a choice, by the way: some may choose not to, and that’s OK. Maybe it’s even good.)
We didn’t have a conversation about tools or prompts. We talked about identity, agency, and leverage.
Below are the key learnings, plus and the frameworks Nikki shared to help people future-proof their jobs, their work, their careers.
The hard truth about AI and jobs
This wave of layoffs feels different. This wave of layoffs is different.
In the past, layoffs were driven by recessions, market crashes, or short-term cost pressure. Today, many companies are:
Profitable
Growing
Innovating
And still cutting people. (Microsoft, I see you!)
That signals something important: AI is already reducing the amount of human capacity needed for many roles. CEOs might not say it out loud, but their actions speak louder than any words could.
In fact Nikki predicts continued job compression over the next 18–24 months, followed by a painful trough … and then a new wave of innovation that demands different skills, mindsets, and forms of value creation. “Compression” equals pain, by the way.
The takeaway?
Waiting this out is not a strategy.
It’s not about “learning AI,” btw
One of the biggest mistakes people are making right now is confusing tool adoption with reinvention.
Using ChatGPT to write emails or summarize documents is surface-level AI usage. It doesn’t meaningfully change your value and it won’t protect your job.
Certifications won’t either.
As Nikki put it:
If you’re a marketer, learning to code an app won’t save your marketing job.
What actually needs to change is who you are at work, not just what tools you use. That’s significantly harder to do.
The core shift: From doing → directing
The central idea Nikki introduced is the concept of the agentic human.
An agentic human:
Leads with uniquely human strengths
Uses AI to amplify those strengths
Lets go of low-value, execution-heavy tasks
Moves from doing the work to directing outcomes
Think of it as you + your AI clone — doubling capacity without doubling hours. As I said about a month ago … in the future we’ll all be bosses and have 100 artificial assistants.
The goal isn’t to compete with machines.
It’s to orchestrate them.
This requires high agency: ownership, curiosity, judgment, and the ability to act without waiting for permission.
To make this practical, Nikki shared her FLIP framework, which breaks down how people can reinvent themselves for the AI age.
The FLIP framework: Becoming AI-ready
1. Focus: redefine your identity
You can’t build leverage until you know what makes you non-replaceable.
Focus means:
Identifying your unique zone of genius
Letting go of outdated labels and roles
Building an AI-native identity, not clinging to past definitions of success
Until you’re clear on what truly differentiates you, everything else is a band-aid.
2. Leverage: compound your capacity
In the AI age, value no longer comes from effort or hours. It’s about leverage.
Leverage is about:
Rethinking workflows end to end
Using AI to extend judgment, decision-making, and creativity
Creating outcomes that scale beyond your individual output
This goes far beyond automation. It’s about multiplying impact, not just working faster.
3. Influence: scale trust, not status
Titles matter less than ever.
Influence today is built on:
Trust
Authenticity
Perspective and taste
AI can scale ideas — but only if people trust the human behind them. Influence is how insight turns into impact.
4. Power: keep learning
Power is about sustaining momentum through continuous learning.
You’re essentially upgrading your personal operating system as cycles accelerate.
The bottom line
AI won’t automatically kill your job. But old identities, low agency, and surface-level thinking might. In other words, acting as if nothing has changed.
The future belongs to people who:
Question who they’ve been at work
Lead with curiosity instead of certainty
Amplify what only they can bring
Use AI as a partner, not a crutch
Or as Nikki put it: the shift is from expert to explorer. That mindset change is where becoming truly AI-ready begins.
The key is how to do that while not creating tons more AI slop, losing individuality, and just churning out stuff for the sake of churning out stuff.
