The Crisis of Adulthood — with John Burn-Murdoch

Where this was said

Remote Work & AI: What's Really Behind Junior Hiring Decline

At 45:40 · chapter starts 43:19

Scott introduces the counter-narrative John has been developing: the collapse in junior hiring that everyone attributes to AI actually started well before ChatGPT, aligning with the rise of fully remote work in 2020. John Burn-Murdoch explains that an enormous amount of research energy has been spent examining AI's impact on employment while very little has been devoted to the radical transformation in working conditions brought about by remote work — despite the fact that it fundamentally changed the worker-employer relationship, the hiring process, and the nature of daily tasks ^{[1] — John Burn-Murdoch "Everyone blamed AI for the collapse in junior hiring. But the data says the pullback started in 2020 when remote work took off — three year…" 43:19 Play} . Emerging studies are starting to show that fully remote working was a major driver of reduced junior hiring: once work became a series of digital tasks done over Slack, it became natural to ask whether those tasks could be done by someone far away — or by agentic AI. The solution, Burn-Murdoch argues, is not a return to five-day mandates (which create their own problems) but a hybrid model of three to four days in the office, which the evidence shows benefits both juniors and managers ^{[2] — Scott Galloway "Remote work pre-dates AI in junior hiring decline: The pullback in junior hiring began when remote work took off in 2020, well before ChatG…" 43:19 Play} . The discussion segues into the noisy AI productivity research landscape, where John notes that headline metrics of activity don't necessarily translate to real delivered value.

Technology

Remote work pre-dates AI in junior hiring decline

The Crisis of Adulthood — with John Burn-Murdoch · Jun 25, 2026

The pullback in junior hiring began when remote work took off in 2020, well before ChatGPT arrived, suggesting remote work — not AI — may be the primary culprit for young workers' labour market struggles.

43:19 – 44:00

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Technology

Remote Work, Not AI, Killed Junior Hiring

The Crisis of Adulthood — with John Burn-Murdoch · Jun 25, 2026 Technology

Everyone blamed AI for the collapse in junior hiring. But the data says the pullback started in 2020 when remote work took off — three years before ChatGPT. When work became a string of digital tasks done over Slack, it was natural for managers to wonder why they needed anyone in the room.

43:19

46:00

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