--- title: "Nvidia CEO Begs Execs to Stop Telling Workers They’re Fired Because of AI" description: "Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang accused other executives of wrongly justifying layoffs on AI — and telling them to cut it out." date: "2026-05-27" modified: "2026-05-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/nvidia-ceo-begs-execs-stop-fired-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Nvidia CEO Begs Execs to Stop Telling Workers They’re Fired Because of AI ![A black and white photograph of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang cut out and color treated in an off-set screenprint style against a patterned background of lavender and olive green.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: I-Hwa Cheng / AFP via Getty Images; Shutterstock* We've long had our doubts about tech leaders [making boisterous claims]() about automating jobs with AI. For a while now, executives have raised eyebrows by justifying sweeping layoffs by arguing that AI had made thousands of roles redundant. But as reality settles in and the tech's real-world capabilities are coming into focus, some in the industry are starting to sing a dramatically different tune. Most recently, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang scorned other executives for wrongly justifying layoffs with AI — and telling them to cut it out. The hidden implication: soaring costs are the real culprit, especially when it comes to AI-related spending, mismanagement, and over-hiring. "The narrative that connects AI to job loss, for many of the CEOs that are doing it — it is just too lazy," Huang [told *Channel News Asia*](). "AI has just arrived, how is it possible they're already losing jobs?" "How is it possible that AI became productive and useful only six months ago, and they were somehow laying people off two years ago because of AI?" he added. "It doesn't make any sense." Huang didn't beat around the bush in his searing comments. "It was just a way for them to sound smart and I really hate that," the CEO argued. "I think we're scaring people, and that's irresponsible." We've long suspected that CEOs have been trying to mislead investors by claiming that much human labor was simply no longer needed in the age of AI. In one particularly telling episode earlier this year, Twitter founder and Block Inc (formerly Square) CEO Jack Dorsey [announced]() he was slashing his company's workforce by "nearly half," citing the emergence of "intelligence tools" that are "accelerating" changes. Former staffers quickly threw cold water on his claims, [arguing]() the layoffs were actually the result of over-hiring, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of a dramatic rise in productivity, what's far more likely is that companies are draining their pockets by making enormous investments in AI. That's especially pertinent as the cost of accessing AI cloud computing resources [continues to soar](), [forcing companies to slow down hiring](). To Huang, it's the result of a lack of ambition, more than anything else. He also remains hopeful about AI ultimately leading to more jobs, not fewer. "It's more likely that the companies with ambition will be more productive, they will do things faster, their company will increase in velocity," he told *Channel News Asia*. "As a result, they become larger, more profitable. When they become larger, more profitable, they'll end up hiring more people." "Of course, they'll use more AI, but they will also hire more people," he added. It's a shift in messaging. Just last year, Huang warned in a *CNN* interview that "if the world runs out of ideas, then productivity gains translates to job loss" and that "everybody’s jobs will be affected" while "some jobs will be lost." Huang isn't alone in dismissing AI layoffs. Just last week, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis accused leadership at other companies of a "[lack of imagination]()" for blaming layoffs on AI. In short, it's a harsh reality check that flies in the face of ongoing narratives being pushed by executives desperately trying to convince investors that unprecedented levels of spending are justified. "This is not a minor disagreement about messaging," marketing publication *State of Brand* [wrote](). "This is the people selling the shovels telling the miners to stop blaming the shovels for the cave-in." **More on Nvidia:** [*Nvidia CEO Says AI Will Be a Permanent Micromanaging Boss Who Never Stops Nagging You*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()