Wang Yan had always believed sales was one of the safest jobs from AI replacement. After all, how could software build client relationships, navigate banquets, or read between the lines of a customer's real needs? She was so confident that she was still optimizing her AI-assisted workflow when the HR meeting was scheduled.
She had been with the company for four years. In her first year alone, she closed an 8 million RMB deal and ranked near the top of a 40-person sales team. The future looked bright — until she got pregnant. Her manager suggested a pay cut and a demotion from sales manager to sales assistant. "Legally they can't do anything, but you know, from pregnancy through breastfeeding, that's two years where they don't think you're fully contributing."
After her baby turned one, she thought the hardest part was behind her. She didn't realize that being marked as a "new mother" had already sealed her fate in HR's eyes. At 30, with many more years of childcare ahead, she was placed on the layoff list.
The termination letter was beautifully phrased: "Due to the company's business development needs and the launch of our 2026 company-wide AI strategic transformation, organizational structure adjustments and workforce optimization have resulted in the elimination of your original position." Four years of work, summed up in a few sentences.
Wang Yan almost laughed. The company had only announced its AI strategy earlier that year. Endless meetings, endless announcements — but the only thing that actually happened was one "AI proficiency test" where employees were told to chat with AI about their work without any training. They hadn't even figured out what direction the AI transformation would take before people were already out the door.
The real reason was obvious to everyone. When she joined, the company had around 400 employees and was planning an IPO. Since then, revenue had declined, headcount had dropped to 200 (many of them interns), and the IPO was indefinitely postponed. Management needed to cut costs, and "AI transformation" sounded much better than "we're struggling."
She wasn't the only one. Across China, companies were wrapping ordinary layoffs in AI packaging. In Hangzhou, a court ruled that a company couldn't legally fire a quality inspection supervisor just because "AI can do the job." The court found that technological upgrade is a business choice, not an "objective change of circumstances" under labor law.
For the first time, Wang Yan consulted a lawyer. She had never pushed back when they lowered her salary. She never protested when raises were delayed. But this time was different. "I just don't think I should be thrown away like a spare part," she said. Before she was laid off, she had even submitted a proposal suggesting the company avoid aggressive cuts and instead upskill workers for the AI transition. Her suggestion was ignored.
"Once at a dinner, my superior told me: 'Leaders are never wrong. If you think they're wrong, you're just not standing in their shoes.' I guess I'm still not standing in the right shoes."