Ronald Shabazz

Tony Barzar didn’t become a millionaire by launching a startup or making risky investments. Instead, he spent nearly 40 years working for the same retailer, consistently saving for retirement and taking advantage of the benefits his employer offered. Barzar joined Price Club in 1986, the warehouse chain that later became Costco, earning $5.85 an hour collecting shopping carts in Tucson, Arizona. Today, at 60, he works as a cashier making $32.90 an hour.

Agentic AI is reshaping how people actually work right now. Unlike traditional AI that waits for your command, agents run autonomously—connecting your tools, automating research, writing, and decision-making while you focus on what matters. For professionals and small business owners, that means more time, faster results, and a real competitive edge.

A new paper released today by researchers Brett Hemenway Falk of the University of Pennsylvania and Gerry Tsoukalas of Boston University delivers a stark warning to the corporate world: the rush to automate is not just a threat to workers, but a self-destructive strategy for the firms themselves. Titled “The AI Layoff Trap,” the study argues that the current wave of AI-driven layoffs is creating a demand externality that threatens to erode the very consumer base companies rely on for survival.