The new narrative:
1️⃣ Eliminate entry-level roles.
2️⃣ Flatten middle management.
3️⃣ Let AI handle the rest.
I’m exaggerating (but only slightly).
This is what’s being framed as “workforce reshaping.”
Here’s the problem:
You can’t simply remove the layers that learn the business, run the business, and improve the business—and expect better outcomes.
𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 aren’t just cost. They’re how organizations build capability.
Remove them, and you don’t just cut expense—you cut your future.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Yes, some coordination work and excess will disappear.
But the best middle managers are the ones who know:
✅ how work actually gets done
✅ where it breaks
✅ best opportunities for agentic work
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀?
We can agree they’re NOT the group to manage AI or workflows. That layer should thin as well.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁?
Before horizontal thinning should come 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴—removing the “in-between” roles and functions that exist only to coordinate across silos.
👉 Fewer handoffs.
👉 Clearer ownership.
👉 Stronger accountability.
Everything should be leaner. But not by indiscriminately targeting the layers that actually make the company work.
AI doesn’t simply eliminate the need for people.
It raises the bar for where judgment, context, and ownership sit.
Remove too much…
…and you don’t get efficiency.
You get fragility.
