When Block Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey said the financial technology firm would cut 4,000 employees, or almost half its staff, he ignited a debate stretching far beyond the tech sector: Are the mass layoffs a visionary move that foretells the power of artificial intelligence or just AI washing — spin designed to mask bad management decisions?
The substance of the debate might be new, but the deeper framework is not. Ever since there’s been a Silicon Valley, its leaders have worked hard to burnish their images as disruptors and trailblazers by flipping the narrative when they make mistakes or decide that rules are inconvenient. Overlooking privacy concerns and misinformation becomes “move fast and break things.” A weak board and governance structure is protecting the founder’s vision. A toxic work culture gets reframed as a meritocracy. Demanding employees work 100 hours a week is not exploitation but changing the world from inside a mission-driven company.
