Posted on 05/13/2026 6:17:36 PM PDT by Libloather
General Motors quietly laid off about 500 to 600 employees this week in a sweeping global shakeup that reportedly blindsided workers with unsettling emails, abrupt virtual meetings and growing fears that artificial intelligence is reshaping the automaker’s workforce.
Many of the affected employees — largely IT workers in Michigan, Texas and other locations around the globe — learned their fate during brief meetings that some workers described as cold and scripted.
“No appreciation or empathy. No questions. Nothing,” one laid-off employee who spent more than a decade at GM told CNBC.
“GM is transforming its Information Technology organization to better position the company for the future,” a spokesperson for the Detroit-based auto giant told The Post.
“As part of that work, we have made the difficult decision to eliminate certain roles globally. We are grateful for the contributions of the employees affected and are committed to supporting them through this transition.”
The cuts came as the Detroit automaker restructures its information technology operations and hunts for workers with more specialized skill sets, including expertise in AI.
Workers inside the company said they had spent months being encouraged to use AI tools more heavily in their day-to-day work before the layoffs hit Monday.
“They’re going to push AI for everyday work and everything else,” a veteran programmer and data scientist who lost their job told CNBC.
“I’ve seen it firsthand. It can make you much more productive, as a programmer. It can really help you get more work done, but AI isn’t going to do you any good if you don’t know the business.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Hiring H1Bs
Watch.
I’m still waiting for GM to compensate the bondholders that got ripped off with the help of the Obama team.
Eerie comparisons to this film:
Colossus: The Forbin Project
1970 ‧ Sci-fi/Thriller ‧ 1h 40m
You’re not supposed to have that long of a memory.
Yup. AI is the excuse to bring in cheap, dirty, third world labor.
(Being sarcastic or serious? Only my hairdresser knows for sure.)
Replaced by Indians who we gave citizenship to. The news media is not allowed to report on this.
AI does fantastic stuff fast and well. Also, when it screws up it does it fast and well.
AI does fantastic stuff fast and well. Also, when it screws up it does it fast and well.
How do you fire people with empathy?
Sounds like when I have gotten the boot in the earl business.
The simple answer... Yes it can, with a little help from some Pakistani or Indian IT people.
LOWE’S IS RUNNING AN AD:
AI IS NOT GOING TO GO UP A LADDER & FIX YOUR ROOF...
“...that some workers described as cold and scripted.”
That description could very well match the personality of many in IT.
““No appreciation or empathy. No questions. Nothing,” one laid-off employee who spent more than a decade at GM told CNBC.”
Occasionally, I was on the inside of letting people go. I don’t understand what this guy wanted. “Hey, you did an absolutely fabulous job and we feel really bad.” Seriously? And what questions was he expecting? I started working in 1979 and was let go from all but one of the six employers I had. The world changes. Companies change and grow or decline. Our employment matches with the times and when it is no longer a fit for either the company or the people around you, you’re gone. This is what makes America competitive and Europe a dying world. In Europe, if they made buggy whips and the world has moved on, guess what? You have to keep them employed. In the US, the buggy whip makers get let go. But then they go off and do something else. In all the times I was let go, I ended up in a better place with more money. Did I hate moving? You bet! But ultimately, it was better for me to move on. Nobody owes you anything. You are the CEO of your own brand. That was made clear to me.
Our POTUS seems to have no problem with this (AI or H1Bs).
We've got to make it profitable to use American labor with our consumer dollars, and we need to start doing it NOW.
If we lose the country to the Democrats in November 2026, we may not be able to get it back as we did in 2024. If we're serious about saving this country for our kids' sake, it has to be now.
This isn’t the ‘50s when there was mutual loyalty between employees and management.
If ees are expecting all warm fuzzies from management they probably believe in the tooth fairy.
When I was with EDS I did a short consult at GM HQ in Michigan.
It was about implementation of high speed networks on the manufacturing floor...something everyone now agrees is normal.
Not only did the union electricians oppose and obstruct everything we were trying to do...but GM IT was absolutely clueless.
I remember having the thought they should all be fired and replaced.
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