> these companies are gunning for knowledge worker salaries

I think there's a kind of arrogance involved here in how they value what "knowledge workers" do. On the the outside they see some documents written, spreadhsheets filled out, forms submitted, emails sent and conclude AI could do all of that.

It's true AI can do a lot of the mechanics of it, but the assumption that there is nothing beyond the pure mechanics of it to me is highly untested and history would bet against it. Some significant part of it sits genuinely within the human relationship component that is almost definitionally not doable by a computer.

there‘s another option. It could be both. The labs are never able to recoup their massive investments, eventually causing a huge loss on the stock market, AND the efficiency gains from tech they pioneered but failed to capitalize on wipes out millions of jobs.

(3) it could be real but with new jobs and increased output rather than depression era unemployment.

> I think what's lost on the general public who mainly thinks AI is ChatGPT,

There are so many people who have never used Claude Code or Codex who think that Google's AI results are representative of what AI can do.