🗣️ The Discount on Human Work Starts in Aisle 7... Hey Builders! Walmart—the world’s largest private employer—put a hold on new hires worldwide, progressively freezing hiring for the next three years as of late September 2025. This decision culminates months of workforce restructuring in 2025, including layoffs of store support, training, and corporate roles, as Walmart accelerates its shift toward AI and automation. CEO Doug McMillon emphasized that while the total workforce of 2.1 million is expected to stay flat, many jobs—especially white-collar and routine roles—will evolve dramatically. AI-powered systems are being embedded across Walmart operations including customer service, inventory tracking, and supply chain management. Workers must adapt by embracing AI tools and combining technical skills with leadership and critical thinking in this new environment. This shift is part of a broader economic transition: ▪️Amazon has announced workforce reductions as generative AI automates corporate and middle-management tasks. ▪️Other major companies like Microsoft and Salesforce are restructuring around AI productivity systems. ▪️Siemens, SAP, and Workday are automating operational roles and trimming administrative headcount. The pace of change is unprecedented. Compensation, employability, and career paths are being recalibrated in real time as digital systems redefine productivity and what human work is worth. ⸻ ⚙️ The Four Revolutions of Value-Creation Every industrial revolution has redefined the exchange rate between human skill and economic value—reshaping how societies produce, distribute, and capture wealth. The First Industrial Revolution (mid-18th to early-19th century) turned steam power and mechanization into economic force. Value accrued to those who controlled factories and infrastructure; physical labour and proximity to production were decisive. The Second, powered by electricity, mass production, and the assembly line, rewarded coordination and scale. Managerial and engineering disciplines emerged to orchestrate vast industrial networks, driving unprecedented productivity growth. The Third, beginning in the late 20th century, digitalized production and commerce. The rise of computers, telecommunications, and the internet shifted value toward information and connectivity, rewarding those able to design, code, and distribute knowledge at speed. Now the Fourth Industrial Revolution—anchored in artificial intelligence, automation, and data ecosystems—rewards judgment, adaptability, and ownership while steadily automating repetitive and procedural work. Capital accumulation is outpacing human capability development. Absent coordinated investment in education, training, and inclusion, significant portions of the labor market may be structurally undervalued in the next phase of growth. Yes, it takes time to fully process...😮‍💨 ⸻ ✍🏾 Connecting Some Dots The labor market is being reshaped, as seen most clearly at Walmart and echoed across industries. At Opportunity Hub (OHUB), we’ve built programs for a decade to empower underestimated talent to thrive through these shifts. Through OHUBxCities, we partner with mayors and workforce boards to realign local economies—integrating training, entrepreneurship, and capital—to build prosperity that scales alongside technology. Our mission is to equip one million people with the skills and pathways needed not just to survive but lead in the next economy. It’s about creating lasting wealth and ensuring resilience becomes an inherited advantage. An heirloom of sorts. As the world increasingly discounts routine human work, real builders raise the value—one skill, one startup, one city at a time. 💭⁉️ Drop your thoughts in the comments — Where do you see the rising value of human work next? ⸻ 🌇 Bring OHUB to Your City Cities, leaders, and builders can join the movement → opportunityhub.co/... ⸻ ⚡️ OHUBNext Daily Brief— investments, edge tech, and moves that matter. For 12+ years, OHUB has been building pathways and on-ramps to multi-generational wealth—without reliance on pre-existing wealth. Through exposure, skills, entrepreneurship, capital markets, and inclusive ecosystems, we’ve helped people create new jobs, new companies, and new wealth.