More big companies bet they can still grow without hiring

Companies are thinking AI will pick up the slack of departing employees (Image: Getty)

Tue, 28 Oct 2025

By Chip Cutter.It’s the corporate gamble of the moment: Can you run a company, increasing sales and juicing profits, without adding people? American employers are increasingly making the calculation that they can keep the size of their teams flat—or shrink through layoffs—without harming their businesses. Part of that thinking is the belief that artificial intelligence will be used to pick up some of the slack and automate more processes. Companies are also hesitant to make any moves in an economy many still des...

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