The Broken Ladder: Why AI Is Gutting Entry-Level Work—and What Leaders Must Do Now

A recent article in Business Insider titled “Tech is turning its back on Gen Z” got me thinking—again—about the very real fears and well-meaning concerns around generative AI. It points out how AI is accelerating a shift in the labor market, especially for young people just starting their careers. Entry-level roles are shrinking. On-the-job training is vanishing. And tech, which once stood as a beacon of opportunity, is becoming a gatekeeper instead.

My first reaction? Let’s verify the claims. Now that I’ve got this superpower—generative AI—I no longer stop at the headline. I asked it to go deeper. Line by line, claim by claim, I had AI analyze the article and fact-check its assertions against current data. The result? Uncomfortably accurate.

Sadly, generative AI is eroding traditional career entry points. And as someone who lives at the intersection of strategy, technology, and human development, that’s deeply disconcerting.

📊 Sidebar: AI Fact-Check—Separating Hype from Reality

I ran th…