The Skills That Will Still Matter When AI Does Everything Else

Is AI actually coming for your job? Jon and Salman dig into the data. 150,000 tech jobs have been cut in tech this year alone, and AI is being cited as the number one reason. But is that the full story? The bigger question is what skills actually matter now. Jon shares a framework for thinking about where humans still win — and why critical thinking, problem definition and verification are going to matter far more than knowing how to prompt. Chapters: 00:00 — Is AI actually coming for your job? 01:26 — The headline numbers: 150,000 tech jobs cut 02:48 — Employment for young people down 20% 04:27 — Jon's counterpoint: was this just COVID overhiring? 09:14 — 40 paralegals replaced by 4 AI agents 13:56 — Stanford's finding: experienced workers show almost no impact 18:37 — PwC: AI skills premium jumped to 62% in 2026 20:03 — AI skills are becoming the new Microsoft Office 26:59 — The soft skills that will actually matter 29:07 — Jon's framework: definition and verification is where humans win 32:18 — Don't specialise in AI. Specialise in the judgment behind it. 34:17 — If all else fails, become an influencer