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AI Already Has Your Job. Mexico Is Still Looking for Its Own

We were all greatly surprised by what we read regarding the sheer number of employees Amazon will lay off in 2025: approximately 14,000 corporate roles (on top of the 600,000 projected before 2033). It surprises no one that Amazon is doing this — they are world-renowned for being exploitative while paying very well, which leaves every ex-Bezos employee with a lasting case of PTSD. But part of the justification for these "mass layoffs" is the following: we will not be opening new positions because the projected growth does not require it; AI will handle it, and we will streamline certain areas…

And it is not just Amazon. Waymo is posing a serious threat to Lyft in San Francisco, where its fleet of autonomous vehicles has already captured a market share of between 25% and 27%, dangerously closing in on Lyft, which stands at 30% (down from 34% in 2023). Uber remains the leader, but its dominance has fallen to less than 55% from the 63% it held at the end of 2023. Meanwhile, in the world of corporate software, Salesforce is making a push to build its Agentforce — a suite of autonomous AI agents designed to revolutionize productivity in sales, customer service, and marketing by automating tasks that until now required direct human intervention.

But here is what is truly fascinating: the race to automate the home took a quantum leap when 1X Technologies announced that in 2026 it will put its home robot, NEO, up for sale. This humanoid assistant — capable of performing household tasks autonomously, such as cleaning, organizing, and even folding laundry, as well as recognizing faces and voices and adapting to the household's routines — will be available for a subscription of $499 per month. Let's be realistic: if there are already people paying up to $200 a month for premium AI assistant tiers like ChatGPT Pro or Claude's Pro and Max plans, the idea of a robot that cleans 24/7 sounds like an incredible deal, especially when compared to the roughly $300 USD that a mere three-hour cleaning service can cost in a city like San Francisco.

The question that inevitably arises is: what will the world look like in 5 or 10 years? And, above all, what do we do about the stark differences that exist today?

While in places like Mexico the debate is only just beginning — with people questioning whether using AI is cheating, or with companies still tentatively evaluating its implementation — there is an astronomical gap with Silicon Valley, where the future is not arriving: it has already happened. This future leaves Juan with fewer rides in his Uber thanks to Waymo, and now Mary, the domestic worker, has reason to worry with the arrival of robots like NEO. And let us not forget the more than half a million Amazon employees who, in a state of modern quasi-servitude, fear for their jobs.

This is not a science fiction film. This is not the future. This is the present, in HD.

And with no intent to allude to those I read in forums arguing that the "little robot" does not work all that well… for now. I am not so sure that in 5 years this will not have evolved to the point where, between Elon Musk's robot, Optimus, the already-mentioned NEO from 1X, and other competitors like Figure 03, we are in the midst of a breathless race over which will be your next home robot. The competition to dominate this new market is only just beginning, and with it, the door opens to an unimaginable range of potential uses that go far beyond household chores.

Looking ahead, the forecasts are as dramatic as they are contradictory. On one hand, influential Silicon Valley voices such as investor Vinod Khosla predict that AI could replace up to 80% of jobs in the next decade. On the other, reports cited by Fast Company and the World Economic Forum suggest a net global gain of 78 million jobs by 2030, the result of 170 million new roles being created against 92 million that will be displaced.

In the midst of this debate, institutions such as the International Monetary Fund warn that this technological revolution could dangerously widen the gap between wealthy nations — which are leading automation — and developing countries, which risk being left behind.

The only certainty appears to be the scale of the disruption. With McKinsey estimating a potential of $4.4 trillion in productivity growth driven by AI, the question is no longer whether this transformation will occur, but who will benefit from it and who will end up paying the price.

And this is where the concern hits close to home. Mexico, as one of the world's largest economies, finds itself in a serious and alarming state of lag. With 60% of the population lacking basic digital skills (INEGI) and barely 5% of businesses using AI, the gap is abysmal. Investment in Research and Development stands at a meager 0.27% of GDP — far below the global average of 2.62% — while legislative proposals to regulate AI focus on restrictions rather than fostering innovation.

A data point: OpenAI alone will spend approximately 1.69 times Mexico's entire annual research and development budget in 2025.

There is an almost total unawareness of what is about to happen. We are watching the tsunami approach, and instead of preparing, we are still sunbathing on the beach.

We are letting slip one of the greatest opportunities in our history to become a country of global relevance. In this revolution, it seems we have chosen ignorance.

I Am Not Exaggerating: Hard Data

Everything stated above is supported by verifiable figures and reliable sources:

• Amazon confirmed 14,000 corporate layoffs in 2025 (4% of its administrative workforce), not due to a financial crisis, but in the name of "AI efficiency." The company reported $18 billion in profits while investing more than $120 billion in AI infrastructure.

• Waymo captured between 25% and 27% of the ride market in San Francisco by 2025, nearly matching Lyft (30%, down from 34% in 2023). Uber fell to less than 55% from the 63% it held at the end of 2023.

• The NEO robot from 1X Technologies is effectively sold for $20,000 or $499/month on a subscription basis, with deliveries scheduled for 2026. Tesla is developing Optimus and Figure AI has unveiled Figure 03.

• Vinod Khosla (legendary Silicon Valley investor) predicts verbatim that "AI will be able to do 80% of any economically valuable work" within the next 3–5 years.

• The World Economic Forum projects 170 million new jobs versus 92 million displaced by 2030 (a net gain of 78 million), but warns that they will require entirely different skill sets.

• McKinsey estimates that generative AI will add between $2.6 and $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy, comparable to the GDP of the United Kingdom.

• The IMF warned that AI "will worsen overall inequality," disproportionately benefiting advanced economies over developing countries.

• INEGI confirms that 60% of the Mexican population lacks the basic digital skills needed to participate in the modern economy.

• Only 5% of Mexican companies use AI, according to the Competitive Intelligence Unit (0.1% among microenterprises, 17% among large companies).

• Mexico invests a mere 0.27% of its GDP in R&D ($5 billion annually), compared to the global average of 2.62%–2.71%, an OECD average of ~2.7%, the United States at 3.4%, China at 2.4%, and Israel at 6.3%. To put this in perspective: OpenAI, a single company, will spend $8.5 billion in 2025 — 1.7 times Mexico's entire research and development budget.

• Mexico ranks 59th out of 67 in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2024, and 6th in the Latin American AI Index (behind Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Colombia).

The numbers do not lie.