Li Xiang: Blind Layoffs in the AI Era Risk Losing High-Value Talent; Combining Expertise with AI Unlocks Greater Value

In a recent podcast episode, Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, shared his views on talent criteria in the AI era. He emphasized that companies should not rush to lay off employees, as the standards for evaluating talent have shifted in the new era, and hasty cuts could mistakenly eliminate truly high-value staff. Li noted that the top 20 employees within the company in terms of internal token consumption are not necessarily the traditionally recognized top performers—they may be weaker in communication skills or resource acquisition, but possess exceptional thinking abilities. Given the right AI tools and business environment, these employees can generate significant value. He believes that specialized talent remains crucial in the AI era, though the way their value is manifested is evolving: while simply replacing existing roles with AI isn't difficult, deeply integrating professional expertise with AI will create new, hard-to-replicate advantages.