You’ll want to check out these numbers
Disruption and growth are happening at the same time, but in different places. To see where the real momentum is, you have to look past the noise.
Hey there,
This week, I keep wondering: Who actually benefits from the constant narrative that AI is taking everyone’s jobs in business media?
Think about it. Every CEO who blames AI when announcing layoffs gets a stock bump and avoids tougher conversations about overhiring or margin pressure. AI companies that stay in the “disruption” headlines benefit from the sense that change is inevitable. If everyone believes the transition can’t be stopped, the question shifts from whether to buy the tools to which ones to buy. Boards that want to freeze hiring now have an easy justification that sounds strategic instead of reactive.
That doesn’t mean AI displacement isn’t real. It is. Some jobs are being automated, entry-level hiring is slowing, and disruption is speeding up in certain areas. But “certain areas” is an important detail, and the main story doesn’t leave much room for specifics. Panic makes a better headline than nuance.
So this week I looked for the real numbers. Here are three stories, and none of them is about layoffs.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. OpenAI Is Nearly Doubling Its Headcount
Recap: The Financial Times reported this week that OpenAI plans to grow its workforce from about 4,500 to around 8,000 employees by the end of 2026. The hiring covers product, engineering, research, enterprise sales, and a new role called “technical ambassadorship.” This function is meant to help large organizations actually use AI tools in their businesses. OpenAI is also expanding office space in several markets. The company is shifting from being mainly a research lab to a full-scale enterprise software company, now competing for the same B2B contracts as Salesforce, Microsoft, and Oracle.
The company most frequently associated with replacing jobs is now leading one of the biggest hiring waves in tech. That’s worth thinking about.
OpenAI’s growth shows where AI is in its business journey. Building models is just one part. Selling them to companies, integrating them into workflows, providing technical support, and renewing contracts all require different kinds of teams.
The “technical ambassadorship” category is the most interesting signal. It describes people who sit between the product and the customer — fluent enough in the technology to demo and troubleshoot, skilled enough in business to understand what the client actually needs and why adoption isn’t happening. This is a role that didn’t exist five years ago. It is in demand now because the gap between “AI can do this” and “your team is actually using AI to do this” is enormous, and closing it requires humans.
The bigger picture is that for every company cutting jobs because of AI, there are other companies—AI vendors, their partners, and the enterprise software teams built around these tools—that are hiring. These jobs are different from the ones being cut. They usually need more experience, technical skills, and strong communication. But these jobs do exist.
Advice:
If you’re hiring in enterprise software, AI infrastructure, or roles connecting technical products with business buyers, clarify what makes your job compelling and move quickly. Streamline your hiring process to remain competitive with OpenAI for top candidates.
2. Brazil Is Leading the Americas in Tech Hiring Confidence
Recap: ManpowerGroup’s Q2 2026 Tech Talent Outlook, released March 19, found that US employers reported a Net Employment Outlook of 41% for tech hiring — an 8-point increase from the prior quarter. Globally, tech hiring intent reached 45%, up 9 points year over year. Within the Americas, Brazil led at 63%, followed by Panama at 61% and Canada at 45%. India led globally at 69%. Colombia came in at 13%, reflecting more cautious employer sentiment. The survey was conducted from January 1 to February 3, before the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.
This story isn’t getting much attention because layoff headlines are louder and easier to write.
An eight-point jump in one quarter is a real change in the US. It doesn’t mean tech hiring is back to 2021 levels—it’s not. But it shows that employers who are ready to grow are starting to hire. The jobs they’re filling are different now: more senior, more specialized, and more focused on AI. There are fewer open roles overall, but the ones that do open are filled more intentionally.
Brazil’s 63% is the number to watch. This isn’t a market under pressure—it’s growing. The local fintech and e-commerce scene, with Nubank reaching 131 million customers and Mercado Libre seeing 45% revenue growth, is creating strong demand for senior engineering, product, and data talent. Now, US companies hiring remotely are competing for the same people, which is pushing up pay for top candidates and making hiring harder than it was a year ago.
Colombia’s 13% tells a different story. It’s not about poor talent—the country has great professionals in tech, finance, and operations. Instead, it shows that local employers are cautious during a presidential transition year. For companies willing to put in the effort, such hesitation creates an opportunity: the best candidates are often more available and open to new roles when local demand is low.
Advice:
If hiring technical talent in Latin America for Q2 or Q3, expect tough competition in Brazil. Start searches earlier and highlight unique role benefits. In Colombia and other cautious markets, consider targeting roles that don’t require top-tier Brazilian expertise to ensure a smoother hiring process.
3. Stanford Economists Checked What AI Is Actually Doing to Jobs
Recap: At the 2026 Stanford SIEPR Economic Summit, a panel of economists—including Erika McEntarfer, former head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics—shared early findings on AI’s impact on hiring. Entry-level software developer hiring for ages 22–26 is down 20%. Call center hiring is down 15%. These are real declines, not just predictions. Still, the panel found no sign of a broad labor market collapse: unemployment for workers exposed to AI hasn’t gone up much, the overall job market is steady, and jobs with low AI exposure—like home health aides, skilled trades, and manual labor—are still growing. The researchers also noted a shift in professional fields like law, banking, and medicine, moving from pyramid-shaped hiring (many junior roles, fewer senior ones) to something more like a diamond or inverted shape.
The headline says “AI is eliminating jobs.” The more accurate story is that AI is cutting out the lowest level of certain knowledge jobs, but the middle and senior roles are mostly staying the same.
A 20% drop in entry-level software developer hiring doesn’t mean all software developers are being replaced. It means junior developers who used to write boilerplate, fix simple bugs, and handle documentation aren’t being hired because AI tools can do that work well enough. Senior developers who design systems and make key decisions are still being hired, often at higher pay. The same pattern is happening in law, finance, and operations.
The shift from a pyramid to a diamond shape in hiring is the most important finding. Junior roles serve two purposes: handling work that doesn’t need senior judgment, and developing future senior professionals. If AI takes over the first job, it becomes harder to do the second. Companies cutting entry-level jobs now are creating a talent pipeline problem that will show up in two or three years—and will be costly to fix.
For Latin American professionals, this data makes things clearer. The biggest interference is in entry-level, highly standardized technical jobs based in the US. The roles that are stable—or even growing—are the ones international hiring usually fills: experienced professionals with specific skills who can work independently and make good decisions. The talent pool I work with is mostly mid-to-senior level. That’s not by accident. It’s why demand has stayed strong.
Advice:
If you’ve cut or frozen entry-level jobs for AI efficiency, ensure you are still developing talent and mentoring staff. Don’t just automate tasks—actively build career growth programs or risk future skill gaps.
That’s it for this week.
Three different data points, but the same pattern: disruption is real and focused, and growth is also real and focused. The space between those two is where a smart hiring strategy happens right now. That’s what I help clients with. If you want to talk about it for your team, you can find me at lupahire.com or just reply here.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa