Eric Schmidt Says AI Could Cut One-Fifth of Jobs at Large Firms

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said artificial intelligence could eliminate about one-fifth of jobs at large companies, putting coordination-heavy roles among the first targets as businesses automate administrative work.

For a company with 10,000 employees, a 20% reduction would mean 2,000 positions. Schmidt described the roles at risk as those focused on planning and moving information between teams, along with some administrative and management work.

Schmidt recalled spending as many as 12 hours a day in meetings while leading Google. He said large organizations pay for coordination in time, attention and salaries, and argued that AI could reduce that burden. He also said a friend’s company had cut 20% of its staff, targeting roles of this kind.

He said invention, sales, leadership and government relations would remain essential. Schmidt urged companies to handle workforce changes humanely and legally.

Separately, prediction-market traders assigned a 94% probability that layoffs in the U.S. information sector will rise in 2026 compared with 2025. The sector includes much of the technology and media industries.