In 2024, the largest U.S. tech companies earned $268 billion from AI advancements, but hundreds of thousands of middle-class jobs were lost. AI is automating white-collar roles in law, finance, journalism, and education, undermining traditional career paths. This shift reduces job stability, income predictability, and upward mobility for mid-skilled workers. Entry-level positions essential for skill-building are disappearing, limiting professional growth. Wealth increasingly concentrates among AI company owners, while workers face unstable, low-paying jobs. Between 1979 and 2022, productivity grew 64.6%, but worker pay rose only 17.3%. The middle class’s shrinking share of wealth threatens social and economic stability in the U.S.
