A new Wall Street Journal report highlights a stark warning from Verizon CEO Dan Schulman, who is urging business leaders to be far more direct about the disruptive impact artificial intelligence could have on jobs—while also forecasting potentially massive workforce reductions in the near future.

According to the WSJ, Schulman argues that companies are not being honest enough with employees about how quickly AI is reshaping the labor market. In his view, leaders risk damaging trust if they continue to emphasize AI’s benefits while downplaying its consequences, particularly job displacement.

One of the most striking elements of the report is Schulman’s prediction that artificial intelligence could drive unemployment as high as 20% to 30% within the next two to five years. He also warned that even traditionally stable manual-labor roles could eventually be affected as robotics technology advances.

Schulman, who recently took over leadership at Verizon, told The Wall Street Journal that executives must adopt what he calls “straight talk” about AI—arguing that employees are already aware that major changes are underway and deserve clear communication rather than vague corporate messaging.

The WSJ report also notes that Verizon has already begun significant workforce reductions as part of a broader restructuring effort, including the elimination of roughly 13,000 jobs, alongside a multibillion-dollar cost-cutting initiative. The company has said these layoffs are part of a broader efficiency strategy, though Schulman’s comments place them in the wider context of AI-driven transformation.

Beyond Verizon, Schulman’s message contrasts with more optimistic tech leaders who emphasize AI’s productivity gains and job creation potential. Instead, he warns that the transition could be painful and uneven, and that companies should prepare workers through retraining and transparency rather than reassurance alone.

The WSJ frames Schulman’s stance as part of a growing split among corporate leaders: some argue AI will ultimately create new opportunities, while others increasingly acknowledge that it may significantly shrink certain categories of employment in the short to medium term.

Overall, the report portrays Schulman as one of the most outspoken executives in the debate over AI and labor, emphasizing both the scale of potential disruption and the need for clearer communication from top leadership as the technology accelerates.