I think the idea of being an employee is fundamentally changing. Not saying its good or bad but it's shifting to a more entrepreneurial phase where people have to step out of their 9 to 5s and find ways to deliver value that others want to pay for.

We saw this pre-AI with Uber and DoorDash. I think as AI automation dies down and most companies are competing at a near optimal level with the new tools we'll need humans again in more traditional roles to build the next generation of innovations. And then the whole cycle will repeat.

A lot of people have negative views of Uber and DoorDash, mainly due to the picture the media portrays of these companies but the reality is that it can be a life saver for many. I knew a software engineer who arrived in the US and was waiting to find work so he delivered groceries through Instacart. It wasn't glamorous but it provided him with enough money to pay his rent and put food on the table.

Something that those who complain about the lack of benefits with gig work don't realize is that if you take away these opportunities many people will lose their homes or depend even more on social benefits. Those who complain actually have no empathy toward other human beings, they only have empathy toward their own ideals. Its not like they're going to give these unemployed workers money or food out of their own kitchen but they want to remove opportunities that help fill these gaps.

Its true that many employees don't have the skills to be entrepreneurs but like all skills it can be learned. I've always treated my own career as a business; marketing myself, delivering for the real customer (hint: its your manager), and always looking for better opportunities. But stagnation is common when people have the mentality that all you need is to work for one employer your whole life and that job should be stable for all of eternity. Any activity that provides a reward, like work or business, has some inherent risk. If you eliminate that risk on the employee side you're stacking it up on the business and if that business fails everyone working there fails too.