Will AI kill your job?

What happens to your job as AI gets smarter and companies keep laying people off even while profits rise? Will you still have a job? Will the job you have change beyond recognition?

Scary questions, no?

In this episode of TechFirst, host John Koetsier sits down with Nikki Barua, co-founder of Footwork and longtime founder, executive, and resiliency expert, to unpack what work really looks like in the age of AI.

Layoffs are no longer just about economic downturns. Companies are growing, innovating, and still cutting staff, often because AI is enabling more output with less capacity.

So what does that mean for you?

Nikki argues the future doesn’t belong to those who simply “learn AI tools,” but to agentic humans: people who lead with uniquely human strengths and use AI to amplify their impact. This conversation explores:

• Why today’s layoffs are different from past cycles

• How AI is compressing jobs before creating new ones

• What it means to move from doing work to directing outcomes

• Why identity, curiosity, and agency matter more than certifications

• How to rethink workflows instead of chasing shiny AI tools

• The FLIP framework: Focus, Leverage, Influence, and Power

This episode isn’t about fear.

It’s about reinvention.

If you’re wondering how to stay relevant, valuable, and resilient as AI reshapes work, this is the place to start.

Guest

Nikki Barua

Co-founder, Footwork

(Reinventing organizations with agentic AI)

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Chapters:

00:00 — Work in the AI Age: what happens to your job?

01:05 — Layoffs, AI, and why this cycle feels different

02:55 — “Don’t let AI have the last laugh”

04:45 — Profitable companies cutting jobs: what’s really happening

06:40 — The next 18–24 months: compression before reinvention

08:30 — AI’s impact on young workers and early careers

10:00 — What should you be doing right now?

11:20 — Why surface-level AI use won’t save your job

12:40 — The rise of the “agentic human”

14:20 — From doing to directing: humans + machines as partners

15:55 — Why certifications and training aren’t enough

17:10 — High-agency people win in the AI age

18:35 — The FLIP framework: Focus and identity

20:00 — Leverage: compounding capacity beyond automation

21:20 — Influence: trust, authenticity, and scaled impact

22:25 — Power: upgrading your personal operating system

23:40 — Two shifts that make this AI revolution different

25:05 — Tools vs workflows: where most people get it wrong

26:25 — The real blocker: old identities and fear of change

27:40 — Three steps to stay relevant in the AI age

28:40 — Final thoughts + wrap-up

Customer Voice is Key to Product by X-Rite Pantone Strategy Director