AI First with Adam and Andy · 2026-06-03 · 9 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
48 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Meta's announcement of 14,000 layoffs paired with doubled AI investment caught the hosts' attention, specifically because the company is creating new roles like "org lead" and "AI builder" - signals of deliberate organizational restructuring. The core insight here is that smart companies build scaffolding before layoffs, not after. Scaffolding means connecting workflows to data, people, and AI agents; redesigning organizational structures; and retraining employees - all before reducing headcount. Block, Oracle, and Coinbase laid off employees with less visible infrastructure investment, whereas Meta appears to be building the exoskeleton first. Adam emphasizes that unless a company is bloated, laying off people without first establishing AI-augmented workflows risks having fewer people doing the same work without the supporting systems in place. The concept requires deep AI proficiency; companies using AI as "a more expensive Google" won't understand the organizational change required. The metaphor: construction crews erect scaffolding before renovating a building so workers have safe support during change. Organizations need the same support structure before restructuring roles and responsibilities.
These new roles signal that Meta is redesigning workflows and retraining staff as part of AI transformation before executing layoffs - building organizational scaffolding to support the structural change rather than cutting first and hoping AI fills the gaps.
It's the support structure you build before restructuring: connecting workflows to data and AI agents, redesigning how teams work together, creating communities of practice, and retraining employees - similar to how construction crews erect scaffolding before renovating a building.
Smart layoffs come after you've built AI-augmented workflows and redesigned roles; risky layoffs cut people first without this infrastructure, leaving fewer employees doing the same work without process improvements or AI systems to support them.
Companies using AI as a productivity tool or 'more expensive Google' won't grasp the concept; you need hands-on experience building agentic workflows, iterating in sandboxes, connecting systems to data, and redesigning processes to understand why organizational restructuring is necessary.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode presents one core idea - that companies should build AI workflow scaffolding before laying off employees - which is moderately useful but somewhat obvious once stated. The distinction between Meta's approach (building new roles and workflows first) versus Block/Oracle (laying off without restructuring) is the primary insight, but there's limited depth, repetition of the same concept, and relatively little novel operational guidance on *how* to actually build scaffolding beyond generic framing.
have you sort of thought about your workflows, how they connect to your data, how they connect to your people right now, and then how those things can connect to AI
don't you, if you can, get your act together quickly when it comes to gentifying as much of your workflows and your processes as you can, augmenting your current employees as much as you can
The scaffolding/exoskeleton metaphor for organizational AI transformation is reasonably intuitive but not particularly fresh - the idea that process redesign should precede headcount cuts is fairly conventional wisdom. The framing is concrete (building/tuckpointing analogy), but the underlying concept lacks contrarian edge or first-principles challenge to orthodoxy.
when you go to do tuck pointing on a building or remodel a building or paint a building, you actually see the exoskeleton or the scaffolding go up
if you just like let people go and say, we're just going to use AI to be better. Like you run the risk of like less people that are trying to do the same amount of work or more
This is a host-only episode with no external guest. Adam Brotman and Andy Sack discuss their own perspectives and mention working with clients, but there is no practitioner from a major company discussing their direct experience implementing AI transformation during layoffs. The episode lacks the validation and specificity that comes from interviewing someone who has actually executed this at scale.
This is AI First with Adam and Andy, the show that takes you straight to the front lines of AI innovation and business
And we spend a lot of time working with our clients on that
The episode cites Meta's 14,000 layoffs, new role inventions (org lead, AI builder), and mentions Block, Oracle, and Coinbase layoffs, but provides almost no concrete data on outcomes, timelines, or metrics. There are no specific examples of actual workflow redesigns, no dollar figures on AI CapEx impact, and no data on whether Meta's scaffolding approach is actually working. The evidence is largely observational rather than empirical.
Meta...laying off 14,000 people and while doubling their AI CapEx
they're inventing roles like org lead and AI builder
The two hosts engage in a reasonably coherent back-and-forth, building on each other's points and providing the building metaphor as a unifying frame. However, there are no sharp follow-up questions, no productive disagreement, and no external pushback on their assumptions. The conversation is self-reinforcing rather than investigative; Adam acknowledges at the end that if you're not already deep in AI, the episode will confuse you - but doesn't really challenge that framing or push back on whether the scaffolding concept is actually essential or just good practice.
I'm curious, Adam, if you have any comment either on what you mean by scaffolding or around these layoffs
It's interesting, not because of AI, but Starbucks also just announced, my former employer just announced a bunch of layoffs as well
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
As AI investments accelerate across the enterprise, many organizations are simultaneously pursuing workforce reductions and operational restructuring. In this episode of AI First with Adam and Andy , Adam Brotman and Andy Sack examine recent layoffs at major companies including Meta, Coinbase, Oracle, and Block, and discuss what separates strategic AI transformation from simple cost-cutting. The conversation introduces the concept of AI “scaffolding” or an organizational “exoskeleton” the systems, workflows, governance structures, training programs, and AI-enabled processes that support meaningful business transformation. The hosts argue that organizations must build these capabilities before making significant structural changes if they want to preserve institutional knowledge and maintain operational effectiveness. Using Meta’s creation of new roles such as AI-focused organizational leaders and builders as an example, the discussion highlights the importance of redesigned workflows, workforce retraining, agentic systems, and AI proficiency programs.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Andy Sack it was meta that really, which prompted this episode, which was their announcement, they're laying off 14,000 people and while doubling their AI CapEx. And the thing that caught our eye in the press release was they're inventing roles like org lead and AI builder. And You know, it's those reinvented roles which signal org change, reorg teams, redesigned workflows, and basically retraining. And all of those things are important elements of sort of supporting a company going through an AI transformation.
This is AI First with Adam and Andy, the show that takes you straight to the front lines of AI innovation and business. I'm Andy Sack and alongside my co-host, Adam Brotman, each episode we bring you candid conversations with business leaders, transforming their businesses with AI. No fluff, just real talk, actionable use cases and insights for you. Welcome everyone to today's mini episode.
There's been recent news of layoffs in a variety of companies, Block, Meta, what was the third one, Adam? Coinbase. And today we didn't want to... Adam Brotman Coinbase.
Coinbase? Andy Sack focus on the layoffs, but we wanted to use the layoffs as a gateway to talking about what we think is a really big concept scaffolding or exoskeleton when it comes to AI transformation. So with that, let's get into it. think, ⁓ it was block, Oracle, Meta and Coinbase all have laid off thousands of employees in the last two weeks.
And we wanted to focus on the distinction between, in the case of Block and Oracle, those layoffs seem to be, we're not at either company, we don't have inside knowledge. Both of those companies seem to make the layoffs and just part ways with the employees. Whereas with Meta, ⁓ It seems like they've attempted to have some continuity even though they're doing the layoffs, they seem to be building up the scaffolding around in advance of any departing layoffs. And I think when it comes to the AI transformation, departing employees that are laid off, a lot of knowledge walks out the door.
And it's for that reason that scaffolding is so important to the AI transformation process. I'm curious, Adam, if you have any comment either on what you mean by scaffolding or around these layoffs. Adam Brotman Yeah, it's interesting, not because of AI, but Starbucks also just announced, my former employer just announced a bunch of layoffs as well. I have to read their press release or whatever to see if they mentioned AI.
But the point is that when you're doing big layoffs like, you know, there can be danger to the business itself and the customer experience because, you know, are you sure that you've got everything covered? Right. So if a company is bloated and I just didn't need so many people and this isn't run leanly, then sure. Like layoffs make sense.
if it's in fact that the company is operating relatively efficiently, but you just need to save money or think you can save money because of AI. then that's a different story. And you better make sure that you actually are operating with AI properly first, right? Because it's not a no-brainer just to sort of start using AI and all of a sudden it's like, oh, we can just let people go.
What we mean by scaffolding is, have you sort of thought about your workflows, how they connect to your data, how they connect to your people right now, and then how those things can connect to AI? And if you come up with a way to sort of connect all those in such a way that you create these sort of agentic capabilities at the company that would allow you to rewire how you're organized, how you process things, how you do your work that gives you improved results with less, potentially less people or different people in different places.
And until you sort of put that in place, if you just like let people go and say, we're just going to use AI to be better. Like you run the risk of like less people that are trying to do the same amount of work or more, and the AI scaffolding isn't in place. So that's why we're big fans of this idea of, don't you, if you can, get your act together quickly when it comes to gentifying as much of your workflows and your processes as you can, augmenting your current employees as much as you can, creating things like AI.
proficiency, communities of practice, maybe even like almost like an institutional brain. These are the kinds of things that will allow you as scaffolding to sort of know that like as you start taking risks with layoffs and reorgs and restructuring that you've got this protective scaffolding or exoskeleton in place before you've done that so that it kind of your business together. So that's our thought process on the scaffolding. Andy Sack Yeah, I wanted to highlight, I mean, just to give people a sense, it was meta that really, which prompted this episode, which was their announcement, they're laying off 14,000 people and while doubling their AI CapEx.
And the thing that caught our eye in the press release was they're inventing roles like org lead and AI builder. And You know, it's those reinvented roles which signal org change, reorg teams, redesigned workflows, and basically retraining. And all of those things are important elements of sort of supporting a company going through an AI transformation. And we think it's the backbone of scaffolding, which is as you're trying to migrate from old workflows and old ways of work to new ones, you're going to need to be changing your organization and training people.
Adam, any final comments? Adam Brotman no, other than I'd say if, if you've been using AI, like a lot, like if you consider yourself fairly proficient, what we just said will make perfect sense. You're like, scaffolding. get it.
Like, as in I need to sort of come up with these new flows and new processes. Like you just said, Andy, to connect it to data, connect it to an agent, make sure I got my prompts right. Like iterate on it, let it fail a few times and correct it you know, in a way where it's a sandboxed you know, it's not integral yet. And I sort of ease into making it connected to my actual workflow.
Like if you're using AI, like everything I just said makes sense. If you're not using AI a lot, like we're going to be like, what are you guys talking about scaffolding exoskeleton, like new work, new stuff. Like, I don't understand. Like I use AI to like, it's a better Google and it writes some emails and like, what are you talking about?
And it's like, I just want to make the comment on top of this to say, if you haven't heard us talk about it before, there is a completely different unlock and capability that can come from AI if you sort of put it together the right way. But it causes you to create these different organizational structures and different work streams. And that's why the exoskeleton concept makes sense. But if you're not using it a lot and you're using it as a as our friend Keith says, a more expensive Google, then you're gonna be WTF.
What are you guys talking about? Andy Sack This episode's not going to make a lot of sense for you. Adam Brotman Right. Andy Sack Yeah, mean, I think it's a good point.
And before closing, I think it's worth saying the term exoskeleton or scaffolding. It's useful because what it calls up is when you go to do tuck pointing on a building or remodel a building or paint a building, you actually see the exoskeleton or the scaffolding go up. And it's meant so that people can can rework and fix the building. When it comes to organizations, they're in the building.
Literally, the employees are in the building. And the exoskeleton is this is this support that allows you to change to start to change people's titles, organizations and the way and workflows. And you need that support, you don't want to just go and cut without having that exoskeleton or scaffolding in place. That's the main point.
And we spend a lot of time working with our clients on that. And we thought that the layoff, the news around these layoffs, which we think is going to come more and more, it was really the one about meta that we thought was worth highlighting and bringing many episodes to all of you. With that. Thank you all for listening to AI First with Adam and Andy.
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