Skynet went live
If you have yet to dabble in AI, this entire post will scare you
I uploaded months of my X and newsletter content to NotebookLM and ChatGPT-4o to see what it could do. It recorded an entire podcast and then ranted about your life choices. I didn’t edit a single thing.
Your Job Won’t Save You—And AI is Coming for It Anyway
The corporate world is shifting, and if you’re still clinging to the old playbook of career success, you might be in for a rude awakening. AI isn’t just “augmenting” white-collar jobs—it’s gutting entire layers of knowledge-based work, automating the very roles that used to be stepping stones for young professionals. If your job consists of repackaging insights, crunching numbers, or synthesizing reports, congratulations—you’re training the machine that will replace you.
The illusion of career security is collapsing, and yet most people refuse to accept it. They despise the system, but won’t take any real action to escape it. They talk about “leaving the matrix”, but won’t downsize, relocate, or take any financial risks to make that a reality. Instead, they stay put—nervously watching the walls close in, convincing themselves that one more promotion, one more certification, one more LinkedIn post will somehow insulate them from obsolescence.
Are You Actually Creating Value? Or Just Playing Along?
Ask yourself: Are you actually producing anything irreplaceable? Or are you just a human middleware layer between software, emails, and spreadsheets?
Consulting? AI is already doing your market research, summarizing decks, and drafting your strategy memos.
Marketing? AI is writing, optimizing, and personalizing content better than your interns.
Finance? The Excel jockeys and FP&A drones are just data pipelines waiting to be automated.
If your job is fundamentally about organizing and transmitting information, you are in direct competition with technology that works 24/7, doesn’t demand equity, and never takes sick leave. The only way out is to own something—your brand, your capital, your clients, your income stream.
Why You’ll Never Be “Rich” in a W2 Job
Even if AI weren’t coming for your paycheck, let’s be real: You will never build generational wealth as an employee. The system isn’t designed for that. Your salary is a controlled input on someone else’s P&L. You can be “well-paid,” but you’ll never be truly rich, because:
You don’t own equity in what you build—your employer does.
You don’t control pricing, scalability, or comp structures—HR does.
You don’t have asymmetric upside—your boss does.
So you work. You burn nights and weekends, thinking you’re climbing, but you’re really just speedrunning burnout for a slightly higher tax bracket.
And then one day, you wake up at 42, with two kids, a mortgage, and a LinkedIn bio full of achievements that have depreciated faster than a new car.
You Don’t Need to “Quit” to Escape—You Just Need to Own Something
Escaping the system isn’t just about quitting your job—it’s about owning your career in a way that lets you call the shots.
That could mean:
✅ Productizing your skills on your own terms (freelancing, consulting, fractional leadership).
✅ Owning your income through multiple clients, not a single employer.
✅ Deploying AI under your own banner, instead of using it to pad someone else’s margins.
✅ Buying equity in something real (cash-flowing assets, brands, businesses).
The goal isn’t to “be your own boss” for the sake of it. It’s to make sure no single company or algorithm controls your livelihood.
Challenge the Playbook Before It’s Too Late
Most people won’t make this shift because they’ve been trained for compliance, not independence. They’ll keep pressing the crosswalk button, thinking it speeds up the light. They’ll keep kicking asphalt like the dog after it shits, performing outdated rituals that serve no function.
But the world is changing. The career paths that worked for your boss won’t work for you. You can either challenge the game while you still have time—or wait until the rules are rewritten without you.
The next decade will separate those who own their time from those who trade it away. Choose wisely.