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IT worker says colleague was benched after AI dependence: ‘Increase your savings’
An IT worker has shared a Reddit account of a colleague being placed on the bench after repeated performance warnings.
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AI is reshaping the IT job market, and one worker’s experience has prompted discussion on Reddit. The employee described a colleague who repeatedly received performance warnings before being placed on the bench. The worker claimed the colleague had more experience but struggled with his work and relied heavily on AI.
What happened to the IT employee?
The Reddit user began by sharing their own experience after joining a new company around 10 months ago. Within three months, they received a warning that their performance was not meeting the client’s expectations.
They admitted that they had initially taken things slowly because their previous workplace had been “very toxic”. However, the warning pushed them to focus on understanding their work and becoming a part of the team. They eventually improved their performance and received a B+ or A rating.
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The situation was different for another team member who joined later. According to the employee, the colleague had more experience but was slow at work and struggled to understand his responsibilities. The Redditor also felt that he was “a little too dependent on AI”.
The colleague allegedly continued receiving similar performance warnings. The employee said they noticed that something seemed to be missing in his work and even tried to check whether he was dealing with any personal problems.
After receiving warnings for around two months, the colleague was reportedly called by the director and placed on the bench.
For the Reddit user, the incident was a reminder that employees should not assume their jobs are always secure.
“If there are people whose whole life is dependent on a good-paying IT job, please consider it the most serious thing,” they wrote, urging people to increase their savings and create an emergency fund.
They also advised employees to “postpone that concert, postpone that car if it is not a necessity, only focus on needs and start removing debt”.
Read the full story here.
Reddit discusses AI and job security
The experience led to a wider discussion about performance reviews, AI and job security in the IT sector.
“Isn’t it too early to give a warning to new joiners?” one user asked.
Another suggested that employees should improve their technical skills and, where possible, explore a second source of income through areas such as content creation, video editing or a side business.
“Corporate life. No wonder everyone wants a government job,” a user commented.
Another asked whether the changing job market could affect people working in niche domains within IT.
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“Inevitable. We all saw it coming, as did our leaders too,” another comment read.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
