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While everyone is worried about AI coming for their jobs, it’s already here. Those who don’t recognise this risk managing an obsolete workforce, one expert has said.
In the 2000s and early 2010s, web-based start-ups disrupted established giants that failed to adapt. Now, firms ignoring AI will face the same fate, said serial entrepreneur Steve Glaveski, chief executive and co-founder of Collective Campus, an innovation consultancy and start-up accelerator.
“A team of five driven people, augmented by an army of AI agents, could arguably disrupt a well-heeled competitor with 100 times the workforce and resources but shrouded in bureaucracy that hamstrings them from actually getting anything done,” he said.
“Remember when Instagram got acquired by Facebook for a billion dollars with just 11 employees, the same year that Kodak filed for bankruptcy? We’re going to see these kinds of stories on a whole new level.”
Many large companies are bolting AI onto existing processes, but Glaveski warned that true AI advantage requires a complete overhaul.
Glaveski will be speaking at Bold Ideas in HR 2025 on 19 June in Sydney. The “new kid on the HR block” event unites disruptors, HR trailblazers and out-of-industry visionaries – all challenging conventions and inspiring new pathways for forward-thinking people leaders.
Making most of the workforce redundant
Meanwhile, Glaveski has a stark message for those worried AI will take their jobs. It already is. AI is rewriting the rules of work, meaning much of the workforce will soon be obsolete. Organisations, he warned, “will probably need to make the majority of your workforce redundant”.
“Most organisations are bloated with bureaucracy, meetings, and inefficiencies. AI is exposing this, and lean, highly automated companies will outcompete those clinging to outdated structures,” he said.
On the chopping block is middle management, as AI agents replace entire layers of coordination, approvals, and decision making.
“HR must rethink talent strategy, moving from managing people to designing high-impact, AI-augmented teams,” he said.
On a positive note, Glaveski said thriving companies won’t just cut jobs but will upskill employees and overhaul culture, as AI forces them to move faster, automate ruthlessly and eliminate pointless meetings. HR’s role will shift from process enforcers to enablers of autonomy, speed, and outcome-driven work.
“The choice is clear: embrace AI and redefine how work gets done or watch your workforce get left behind and your company become redundant,” he said.
Join Bold Ideas in HR 2025 to hear more from Steve and other pioneering but purposeful voices on topics covering humanity, societal shifts, leadership synergy, the five-gen workforce, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the Trump era, and more. Expect a beacon of difference in a sea of vanilla. Early bird tickets are available now – click here.
