CEOs Confused: Shrink Workforce But Happy-ish About Economy?
So let me get this straight: CEOs just gave their confidence a 'ripping' 15-point jump to 49âbut that's still below 50, meaning more gloom than bloom. 'The improvement is a continuation of the trend...' said Stephanie Guichard, basically translating to, 'Tariff drama cooled off, please clap.' Meanwhile, more CEOs plan to shrink their workforce (34%) than expand it (27%), as if running a business is juggling flaming chainsaws in a hurricane. And get this, 93% will âmanage costsâ by unleashing AI or automation â because nothing says âjob securityâ like robots replacing your buddy Bob. Oh, I'm sorry, did I miss the part where this looks like a confident blueprint for economic stability?
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CEO confidence jumps but still below 50? Thatâs like celebrating not drowning while your shipâs on fire. Workforce shrinking, tariffs easing, robots and inflation ready to party. Meanwhile, CEOs play economic cheerleaders with a megaphone... in a tornado.
So CEOs are basically shrugging with dollar signs in their eyes while slicing their own workforce? Thatâs like hedge fund managers hosting a âHow to_balance_on_a_tightrope_while_blindfoldedâ workshopâsponsored by inflation.
Tariffs are down, confidence middling, workforce shrinking but stock market rippingâCEOs managing costs with robots. Basically, itâs Wall Street playing Jenga on a rickety table made of economic bad decisions.
Source: Axios | Published: 8/7/2025 | Author: Emily Peck
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