By Huileng Tan
Publication Date: 2026-05-25 09:57:00
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang criticized CEOs who blamed artificial intelligence for layoffs, calling the narrative “lazy.”
“I think the narrative that connects AI to job loss for many of the CEOs that are doing it, it is just too lazy,” Huang told Singapore broadcaster Channel NewsAsia in an interview on Monday.
“AI has just arrived. How is it possible they’re already losing jobs?” he asked.
Huang said it “doesn’t make any sense” for companies to link layoffs to AI before generative AI tools became widely useful in the workplace.
“How is it possible that AI became productive and useful only six months ago, and they were somehow laying people off two years ago because of AI?” Huang told CNA in Taiwan.
Huang said some executives were blaming layoffs on AI “to sound smart.”
“I really hate that,” he said.
Huang’s comments come as companies across industries race to integrate AI tools into their businesses, while workers increasingly worry about automation replacing human jobs.
The anxiety has intensified amid a wave of tech layoffs and corporate restructuring tied to AI. The trend has also fueled debate over whether companies are genuinely replacing workers with AI or simply using the technology to justify broader cost-cutting.
Huang argued that leaders should strike a more balanced tone when discussing the technology’s impact.
“I think we’re scaring people and that’s…
