High confidence
May 1, 2023
IBM
−7,800 ~7,800 jobs over five years (≈30% of non-customer-facing roles)
Attribution · verbatim quote
“I could easily see 30 percent of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period.”
— Arvind Krishna (ceo)
Summary
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg the company would pause hiring for back-office roles he expected AI and automation to replace, projecting around 30% of non-customer-facing positions (~7,800 jobs) could be displaced over five years. IBM clarified there was no company-wide freeze — the pause was selective and HR roles were named as a priority.
Evidence notes
- · Quote sourced from Bloomberg interview, syndicated by Reuters and Al Jazeera.
- · 30% figure refers to ~26,000 non-customer-facing roles; 7,800 is the implied displacement number.
- · IBM later said no company-wide freeze; the pause was targeted at functions deemed automatable.
Sources