How To Train Yourself Out Of A Job

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Happy Wednesday, Future Party. Here’s something to drive you as mad as any middle school teacher in America right now — Dictionary.com’s word of the year is “6-7.” What does that even mean? The site doesn’t claim to know, but the meme took off from rapper Skrilla’s 2024 single “Doot Doot (6-7).” The song started trending on TikTok, and the phrase went viral after one kid said it in a video while another waved his hands around beside him. The rest, as they say, is history.

Silicon Valley may be laying off a lot of people right now due to AI efficiencies, but it’s also hiring for one very specific role — training more AI to take over even more tasks.

Why It Hurts: Agentic AI has reached a point where its next leap forward depends on humans teaching it how to do their jobs. In other words, the latest hiring boom in tech may also be the one that quietly paves the way for mass automation — and ends hiring booms for good.

Behind The Positions: The biggest reason AI could eventually replace human workers, per Axios, is that humans are already training it to do so.

Final Test: For many workers, getting paid to train their replacement may be a tradeoff they can’t afford to turn down. It could also be justified as a way to learn AI, upskill, and find another job. And for some, it may feel like the AI takeover is inevitable — so they might as well make some money while they can before being pushed out for good.

But for others, there may be a conscious decision that training AI is tantamount to actively letting tech win — and that may be a bridge too far. Being for or against AI-powered automation could become the defining cultural clash of the next decade.

Next Job Search: Expect a renewed interest in union organizing — reminiscent of the 1930–1950 era — as workers look for collective ways to push back against corporate automation.

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Several automakers are set to release vehicles with “Level 3” driving autonomy — letting drivers take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road… until the car says otherwise.

The Full Throttle: Level 3 “eyes-off” self-driving tech is widely seen as messy by analysts and industry watchers — allowing drivers to be distracted in some situations but then requiring them to take control at a moment’s notice. That divided focus can lead to plenty of whiplash, both metaphorically and literally, when a person suddenly has to grab the wheel.

Under The Hood: According to The Verge, automakers soon want you to say, “Look, Ma! No eyes!”

Last Stop: Regulators still haven’t figured out exactly how to handle “eyes-off” driving — which is why it’s limited to certain highways in certain states. The big question remains: who’s liable when a car crashes while the driver’s watching Netflix? Automakers like GM say they’ll take responsibility for an accident if the Level 3 system is active.

But that’s a slippery slope when Tesla’s Level 2 systems, Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, have routinely deactivated “less than one second” before a crash. What’s promised and what’s real could still be miles apart. Even so, legal precedent is mixed — some rulings blame the driver, while others hold automakers partially accountable. In other words, the jury’s still out.

Next Trip: Soon, we’ll have freeways where some people are looking at their phones because they’re allowed to — and others because they’re irresponsible… and the rest of us may not be able to tell the difference.

Marketing that runs itself? Yeah, that’s a thing now.

Constant Contact’s automation tools work quietly in the background, so you don’t have to. Emails, texts, and offers go out exactly when you want them to — no need to hit send every time.

Want to make customers feel seen? Use an automation template to send birthday wishes. Trying to boost sales? Set up an abandoned cart email — it’s a friendly reminder that often turns into a purchase. Got customers who’ve gone MIA? Send a promo or special offer to bring them back.

You don’t need to micromanage a thing. Just choose your triggers — like someone clicking a link or leaving something in their cart — and the system takes care of the rest. You stay focused on your real to-do list while your marketing hums in the background.

So, Future Party readers: ready to stop wasting time on repetitive tasks? Try Constant Contact’s automation tools today — it’s free to get started, and honestly, it’s kind of a game-changer.

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61.1% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Do you use Facebook?

“Not regularly in a very long time. I’ll only go on now to find old photos, look people up, or use FB Marketplace.”

“But Instagram takes up most of my social media time by far. Facebook’s a guilty diversion when I’m bored on long Zoom calls.”

“Do I have a Facebook account I created in 2005? Yes. Have I posted a single thing to it in the past three years? No. Do I regret everything I ever did post to it? Yes.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎙️ Netflix is in talks to exclusively license video podcasts from iHeartMedia, which produces shows like The Breakfast Club and Las Culturistas.

🎥 Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao and producer Nicolas Gonda are launching a live-action studio division for top manga publisher Kodansha (Akira, Attack on Titan).

💓 Fox Entertainment is acquiring the rom-com podcast company Meet Cute, with CEO Naomi Shah becoming Fox’s senior VP of operations and strategy.

💻 Apple is reportedly developing a low-cost laptop to compete with Chromebooks — one that will run on an iPhone processor.

🐕 De-extinction company Colossal Biosciences has made its first acquisition: animal cloning firm ViaGen Pets & Equine.

💸 a16z has paused its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) program and laid off all associated staff. The initiative was designed to support underrepresented founders.

🤖 Amazon has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity AI, demanding that its browser-based AI agent, Comet, stop making e-commerce purchases on behalf of users.

👗 Luxury label Fear of God is releasing its first womenswear collection.

📦 France is moving to ban Shein after discovering that the site was selling sex dolls resembling minors. Yikes.