Chinese job postings for grads fell 22%
A major Chinese recruitment site reported that job postings for college graduates fell 22% in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
China Decode: Why China Got Locked Out of SpaceX and America’s Biggest IPOs (ft. Ed Elson)
Explore episode
Jun 16, 2026
Where this was said
China's Three Core AI Labor Threats — And How Beijing Is Responding
At 1:04:42 · chapter starts 1:00:20
Alice Han goes deep on the specifics of China's official AI labor framework. Workers' Daily identified three categories of concern: companies requiring employees to train AI avatars of themselves (raising IP and data privacy issues), employers using 'AI transition' as cover for firings that Chinese courts have already ruled unlawful, and platform algorithms that obscure working hours and cut pay in ways workers can't document to defend their rights. The broader data is alarming: Chinese university researchers project AI could displace 278 million workers by 2049, one in three current employees. Job postings for college graduates already fell 22% in the first half of 2025. And protests are breaking out — notably in Wuhan, where drivers rallied against Baidu's robo-taxi expansion. Alice argues China is structurally more exposed to AI disruption than other economies precisely because of its gig economy dominance, and draws a parallel to the 1990s SOE restructuring when the government deployed iron rice bowl subsidies to cushion mass layoffs.
China's Three AI Labor Threats — And Why the Government Is Acting
China's government mouthpiece Workers' Daily identified three core AI threats to labor: companies requiring employees to train their own AI replacements, bosses using 'AI transition' as cover for illegal firings, and opaque algorithms cutting pay and erasing workers' ability to claim their rights. Chinese courts have already ruled AI-based terminations unlawful.
AI Could Displace 278 Million Chinese Workers by 2049
Chinese university researchers project AI could displace 278 million workers by 2049 — one in three current employees. China's exposure is acute because half its urban workforce is in the gig economy: delivery drivers, ride-share workers, the exact jobs most vulnerable to autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.
AI could displace 278M Chinese workers
Researchers from Peking University and other Chinese universities project that AI could displace up to 278 million Chinese workers by 2049 — roughly 1 in 3 current employees.
Data Center Opposition: 19 States vs. the AI Buildout
Tens of billions in US data center projects were blocked in 2025 due to public opposition, with 19 states considering construction restrictions or outright bans. Ed Elson argues this is a direct result of Washington's failure to regulate AI proactively — and it may end up handing China a structural advantage.
Similar snapshots
SF average rent up 18% in 2 years
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
SF average rent: $3,728/month
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
Bobby walked 7 miles with dicks drawn on face
At a childhood sleepover, Bobby Lee's friends drew penises on his face and he walked 7 miles home on a dirt road before being picked up by Eric Purvis's mom.
World poverty: 60% in 1950 vs 10% today
In 1950, about 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty; today it's about 1 in 10, attributable to capitalist economic growth.
6M US children fell into poverty 2021–24
From 2021 to 2024, 6 million children fell below the poverty line in the US after the expanded child tax credit expired.
Private adoption costs $40,000–$70,000
Private domestic infant and international adoptions typically cost $40,000 to $70,000, while foster care adoption is the most affordable route at $0 to $2,000.
Only 40% of men have ever reproduced
Historically, only 40% of men have ever reproduced — Galloway uses this to argue that romantic success requires effort, not a hall pass.
7th of 10 children
Robby Hoffman is the 7th of 10 children raised in a Hasidic household in Montreal, where the family was poor and comedy was a survival mechanism.
No concept of 'too soon'
Robby's Hasidic community had no concept of 'too soon' in comedy — if it was funny, you threw it, and if you bombed, your sibling told you immediately.
