This post had nothing to do with my layoff, and I'm glad I wrote it. Luckily, it put my mind in the job-hunter headspace before the axe came for me.
Anyway, I am available. Immediately. More about me over on LinkedIn.
...back to what you came here for.
Let's set the stage.
Dentsu cut something like 3,400 jobs worldwide. Ogilvy, another 700. GroupM (RIP) announced layoffs as part of their global reorg as WPP.
P&G axed 7,000 roles and Est茅e Lauder 11% of their workforce. The lists go on.
The holding companies are scrambling to hold on to their projected 17% margins by 2027, but even that is way down from the 20-25% they previously enjoyed.
Flexible, project-based partnerships are replacing entire 100+ person creative departments. And the junior, entry-level jobs are increasingly handled by AI.
If you are reading this because you are one of the many made redundant, or you are nervously watching the layoff announcements pile up...this is all you need to know: The demand for your skillset has not disappeared. It just moved.
Lara O鈥橰eilly
AI is only part of the story
But all the press releases love to blame AI. I mean, it does suck all the oxygen out of the room in every conversation. The agencies have invested over a billion dollars in AI transformation while reducing headcount, so the narrative kinda writes itself.
But...
For now, the tech is very early. The integrations are narrow and fragile. Most orgs do not have the infrastructure, talent, or governance in place to make AI scalable (outside of a fun demo).
Someone told me to think of AI like a mirror. It reflects the inefficiencies that we have always had in our industry. Bloated headcounts, platform gamesmanship, chaos of managing dozens of systems to launch a campaign. That was never sustainable with the required growth targets our market demands.
So, the layoffs aren't happening because AI can do everyone's jobs. They're happening because the old model was already broken. AI gave everyone an excuse to make some radical changes that need to happen anyway.
Granted, that's cold comfort if you are laid off.
Where everyone went
What happened to the folks who already left? Where did they land?
