Framing a layoff as AI-driven accomplishes something that framing it as a budget correction does not: it makes the decision feel external to management. When a CEO says AI made human labor replaceable, the implicit claim is that no other choice existed. That forecloses the question of whether the hiring that preceded the cut was sound, whether the capital allocation was responsible, or whether the workforce reduction serves shareholders more than operational need. One commenter captured the investor-relations logic with precision: labeling cuts as AI-driven suggests efficiency gains that push…