this post was submitted on 25 May 2025
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VCs are starting to partner with private equity to buy up call centers, accounting firms and other "mature companies" to replace their operations with AI (techcrunch.com)
submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Having worked in a call center (doing survey research) during college, there are a lot of people employed by such places who really wouldn’t have many employment options anywhere else.

I remember saying, while there, that the entire industry would be replaced by AI in 10-15 years. They all scoffed, saying they had ways to get people to answer surveys that an AI wouldn’t be able to do. I told them they were being naive.

Here we are.

That said, I do worry about some of those people. Just because they were borderline unemployable doesn’t mean they were worthless.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

doesn’t mean they were worthless

Not what I said, on the contrary.
It's a horrible mindnumbing job and anyone deserves better.
The avg of employment is 6 months.
Some don't make their targets and get fired, most find a less shitty job.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Oh don’t worry, I wasn’t accusing you of saying they were worthless. I was just voicing my own concern for some of my former coworkers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

There was a lot of talk about that when the call centers were sprouting up: generally poor jobs, minimum wage, and liable to be outsourced or ai’d. They were generally put places where there were no real options so those towns are going to suffer when it all goes away