Burnout isn't a bug. It's the system working as designed

Burnout isn’t a bug - it’s the system working as designed.
We’ve reached a point where mass layoffs at Fortune 500s and FAANGs barely make us flinch.

Tens of thousands cut overnight.
Top performers. Loyal employees. Just gone.
No warning. No plan. Just removed, like expired code.

And it’s not just happening at the bottom. It’s happening everywhere.
And worse: it’s starting to feel normal.

Meanwhile, the rest of us?
We work longer.
Deliver more.
Try to stay useful a little longer.
Try to outrun irrelevance in systems we don’t control.

We call it burnout. But what if that isn’t failure?
What if this is how the machine is supposed to work?

Extract. Exhaust. Replace. Repeat.

AI and automation only accelerate the loop, but they’re not responsible for it.

Essentially, we see humans becoming transitional parts - bridges until something more efficient can be slotted in.

I say this as someone who spent years adapting and evolving - from architecture, to UX, to strategy.

I’ve been lucky to stay “ahead” of the curve, for now.
But many aren’t. And many won’t.
And the toll isn’t just financial.
It’s emotional and existential.

You give everything to stay in the system - until one day, you’re no longer needed by it.

And if we don’t call that out, and don’t rethink what/how we’re building, and who we’re leaving behind - then honestly? Burnout won’t be the worst thing we face. It’ll just be the first.

[No really, I promise that this series isn’t doom and gloom - it gets better in the next post, I think]