10:29 pm - February 21, 2026
Investors seem to think AI is quietly getting ready to replace white-collar workers rather than just helping them. Balance sheets are starting to reflect that belief. While major banks are spending billions on AI systems, they are also hiring fewer people for positions that used to be entry-level for aspirational graduates. The reasoning is simple. Promotions are not requested by machines.
For many years, Wall Street functioned as a pyramid, attracting thousands of entry-level employees annually and promoting a select few. It was costly, time-consuming, and ineffective. However, it was successful. There is now a growing belief that AI completely flattens that pyramid, automating the lower tiers and leaving only a smaller team of extremely competent supervisors. It seems like the first few rungs of the traditional career ladder are disappearing as we watch this happen.
In remarkably straightforward language, some executives have started to acknowledge this. Although they discuss “productivity gains,” the meaning frequently becomes clearer in private discussions. More work being done by fewer people. Or, more and more, fewer people working at all. This is rewarded by investors. Even if efficiency is merely a polite way of saying fewer paychecks, stock prices typically increase when companies make such promises.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Sector | Wall Street / Financial Services / Corporate America |
| Core prediction | Up to 50% of entry-level white-collar roles could be replaced or automated by AI within the decade |
| Firms leading adoption | JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Klarna, Salesforce, Amazon |
| Economic forecast | AI could automate 30% of working hours and eliminate over 10 million U.S. jobs by 2030 |
| Investment driver | Productivity gains, cost reduction, and profit expansion |
| Reference links | Goldman Sachs Global Research – AI and the future of jobs • CNBC – AI impact on white-collar workforce |
The shift can occasionally be subtle in midtown offices. AI systems are now used to scan thousands of documents overnight in a compliance department that previously employed dozens of analysts. There are fewer desks in use, but the lights are still on. Cleaning staff are the first to notice it as they pass by quiet keyboards and empty chairs.
Whether this change will occur as quickly as predicted is still up in the air. Economists have made mistakes in the past. Bank tellers were supposed to be eliminated by the ATM, but their numbers eventually increased. However, many people in the industry feel differently about this. Not all routine labor is being replaced by the software. It’s taking the place of judgment, or something nearly so.
The pressure is most noticeable among young employees. Recent graduates are competing for fewer positions as entry-level hiring has already slowed in some tech and finance roles. Some quickly adjust and learn to collaborate with AI. Others are hesitant, wondering if their degrees equipped them for a workplace that suddenly doesn’t seem to care as much about human novices.
Investors, meanwhile, perceive a huge opportunity. The calculations are convincing. The cost of labor is high. Once developed, software is relatively inexpensive. Businesses that successfully automate can boost profits without adding more employees. These margins are immediately noticed by Wall Street. It gives them rewards.
A change in psychology is also taking place. AI was framed as a tool for many years. These days, it’s frequently talked about as infrastructure, something essential rather than optional. That difference is important. Tools help employees. They are replaced by infrastructure.
It’s difficult to ignore how many floors of glass office towers now go dark earlier in the evening than they used to. Not in a big way. Just in silence. Every year, a few fewer lights.
However, there are lessons to be learned from history. While technological revolutions tend to destroy old roles, they also tend to create new ones. AI development, safety, and oversight are already giving rise to whole new professions. These are well-paying jobs. However, they require different skills and are less common.
Nobody seems particularly interested in resolving the tension that exists here. Efficiency is what investors are betting on. Employees are placing bets on relevance. It is not possible for both wagers to be successful simultaneously.
Offices may have the same steel and glass exteriors by 2030, but the interiors will feel very different. fewer discussions. fewer novices. There are more silent machines operating in the background.
