AI Disrupts Middle-Class Career Wealth Pathways

AI is rapidly displacing white-collar jobs and eroding traditional middle-class career ladders in 2024–2025, affecting customer service, junior software engineering, financial back-office roles, content creation, and legal support. Corporations like Salesforce (cut ~4,000 support roles), Microsoft (reports 30% AI-generated code and ~15,000 cuts), Amazon (14,000 cuts), and Duolingo (offboarded ~10% contractors) are automating routine tasks, undermining promotion pathways and long-term wealth accumulation for millions of households.