Breaking Job News: Elon Musk's Controversial AI Prediction, 750k Federal Workers Unpaid, & Hiring Scams

What if Elon Musk is right and AI really does replace every job? 

In today's Breaking Job News, host Pete Newsome unpacks what total automation could mean for workers, families, and the economy. From the promise of “optional labor” to the harsh realities of income loss and inequality, he explores whether society is ready for a world in which work is a choice, not a necessity. We dig into what’s next: portable benefits, meaningful reskilling programs, and policies that protect workers through disruption instead of leaving them behind.

Then, we turn to a crisis already testing paycheck stability, the ongoing government shutdown, now entering its fourth week. With 750,000 federal employees furloughed and essential staff working unpaid, we break down the competing bills, the ripple effects on communities, and how political gridlock reveals deeper cracks in America’s safety net.

Finally, we expose the rise of AI-driven job scams that mimic major brands like Amazon, FedEx, and Google. From fake recruiter accounts to chatbot-run interviews, we share practical ways to verify listings, audit recruiter profiles, and prevent financial or data theft, as well as what employers can do to restore trust in the hiring process.

If you care about the future of work, job security, and AI’s impact on employment, this episode connects the dots between policy, technology, and everyday life.

News Articles:
1. Elon Musk’s X post: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1980765809338147193?ct=rw-li
2. Robert Walter’s Global Index Report: https://www.robertwalters.com/press-releases/news/blog/robert-walters-global-job-index-july-2025.html
3. Senate blocks bills to pay federal workers during shutdown: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/23/senate-blocks-bills-pay-federal-workers-during-shutdown/
4. 1 in 4 Job Seekers Fell for Hiring Scams in 2025, Many Shared Passwords and Lost Money: https://www.passwordmanager.com/1-in-4-job-seekers-fell-for-hiring-scams-in-2025-many-shared-passwords-and-lost-money/

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Episode Transcript

Pete Newsome (00:00):
Happy Friday, everyone.
The top job market headlines inthis week are that federal
workers continue to go unpaid asthe shutdown drags on and job
scams are exploding.
But first, Elon Musk and BernieSanders are in agreement, at
least about one thing.
Here's what happened.
Earlier this week, Elon postedon X that robots and AI will

(00:22):
replace all jobs.
How's that for a definitivestatement from the guy who is
arguably the world's expert inthat space?
And whether you like him ornot, you can't deny his success.
And I believe he has a historyof being right, more often than
not, about these things.
He's someone we should listento.
He also went on to write thatworking will be optional, like

(00:43):
growing your own vegetablesinstead of buying them from the
store.
I love his optimism, but I'mnot so confident that that's how
it will play out.
There's a very big gap betweenAI taking jobs and we now live
in a utopian society where youdon't have to work if you don't
want to.
Sounds nice, but I'm skepticalto say the least.

(01:03):
Now, Bernie Sanders agreed withhim on X.
He wrote, I don't often agreewith Elon Musk.
Yes, we know that, but I fearthat he may be right when he
says AI and robots will replaceall jobs.
So what happens to workers whohave no jobs and no income?
I'm nearly certain that SenatorSanders posed that question

(01:24):
rhetorically, but it's one thatdeserves an answer.
And as we rush forward in thisdirection, the people who are in
power, the ones who are in thebest position to advance AI,
they're telling us it's going tohappen.
They intend for it to happen.
And in Elon's case, he'spositioning it as a good thing.

(01:44):
And I'm just not that sure.
In fact, I am worried about theopposite.
I'm worried about a potentiallydevastating impact by AI to the
job market.
And we're rushing forward inthat direction.
It seems inevitable to me atthis point.
And I want to be wrong, as Ialways say, let me be chicken
little with this, but I'd ratherbe wrong than caught off guard.

(02:06):
I don't want anyone else to becaught off guard either because
the people who potentiallymatter most in this scenario,
the ones creating the solutions,tools, products, AI, robots,
they're saying this ishappening.
They're saying it's inevitable.
So no one should be caught offguard by that when it actually
takes place.
Time will tell.
In the next headline today, thegovernment shutdown is entering

(02:26):
its fourth week, and yesterdaythe Senate failed to pass three
bills aimed at paying federalemployees.
Senator Ron Johnson's proposalto pay only essential workers
like TSA agents and air trafficcontrollers failed after
Democrats said it gave too muchcontrol to the White House over
who gets paid.
On the other side, Republicansblocked two Democrat bills that

(02:47):
would have paid all federalworkers and barred the
administration from firinganyone during the shutdown.
President Trump called theSenate vote a test for
Democrats, accusing them of notwanting to pay workers who are
currently on the job.
Johnson indicated he was open torevising his bill to include
back pay for furloughed workers,but the Democrats remained
opposed unless it also preventsthe administration from firing

(03:09):
employees.
So, look, this is an impassewhere Democrats want Republicans
to agree to extend AffordableCare Act subsidies before they
expire later this year, and theGOP is insisting that it won't
negotiate those terms untilgovernment funding is approved.
The sides just aren't budging.
And while these politicians arefighting and they're failing to

(03:30):
act, as Congress is obligatedto do, and specifically the
Senate right now, since theHouse has already done its job,
nearly three million federalworkers are caught in the
middle.
And listen, that is not goodfor anyone.
This needs to end sooner thanlater.
They need to do their job thatthey were voted in office to do,
hopefully sooner than later.

(03:50):
And in the final headline, sixin ten job seekers in the U.S.
encountered at least one fakejob posting or recruiter this
year.
That's according to a newsurvey from passwordmanager.com.
Even more concerning is thatone in four fell for a scam, and
nearly half of them had moneyor personal data stolen.
Scammers most oftenimpersonated Amazon, Google,

(04:17):
FedEx, UPS, and Walmart usingfake listings on Indeed,
LinkedIn, Facebook, or messagesvia email and text.
I get those texts constantly.
I don't know if anyonelistening does, but it's almost
daily, sometimes multiple timesa day, and I don't know where
they get my information or thinkthat I would be a good fit for
these jobs, but it just seemsvery scammy from the start.

(04:39):
And some victims in this uh evenparticipated in fake interviews
run by AI chatbots pretendingto be hiring managers.
Among those who lost money, 5%lost more than $10,000, and one
in four lost more than $2,000.
Look, we've reached a pointwhere job seekers need to verify
that a recruiter is real beforethey start applying.

(05:00):
And that probably won't happenbecause of one-click apply.
But I encourage everyone to doresearch before you go into an
interview.
If you want to just one clickapply, great.
But I would also argue thatthat is a very low success rate.
If you want to have moresuccess, you should personalize
your applications and take extrasteps when you do apply.
And do a little research.

(05:22):
Look up the companies, look uptheir website, look up their
Google reviews, look at theirLinkedIn presence.
A little bit of effort, whileyou may not want to put it in,
uh, will prevent a scam fromhappening if you look to go
forward with a job.
And there's also an obligationfrom the employer side.
Make sure that your digitalpresence is strong.

(05:43):
Make sure that your branding isintact.
You should be signalingcredibility online so job
seekers can feel confident thatyou are who you say you are.
So unfortunately, technologyhas led us here, and a little
bit of effort on both sides isneeded.
Um which, you know, there'sjust no way around it at this
point that I can think of.

(06:04):
And before we wrap up today,here's this week's fun fact.
The average American who worksin an office spends more than
100 hours commuting every year.
Okay, that's not fun at all.
Fun for everyone who's remote,I guess, but that's two more
than two full work weekscombined, just getting to work.
It's a great argument foranyone who uh doesn't want to

(06:25):
return to the office if yourcompany is making you do that.
And listen, selfishly, I likeworking at home.
I'm glad that my employees getto work from anywhere.
That's great.
I do see the benefits ofworking in the office, so I'm
not taking that stance fully.
There's some things that wecertainly miss as a result of
being fully virtual.
But um, man, no one wants tospend time commuting.
That is a bummer.

(06:46):
So thank you for listeningtoday.
Please like, subscribe, sharewith anyone who might be
interested.
And I look forward to talkingto you next week.