Source: NYT > Business (paywall)
By adopting military terminology, AI startups are attempting to elevate low-status implementation and support roles into something that sounds strategic and prestigious—a classic move when labor markets tighten and worker expectations shift. Companies can't find enough people willing to do technical hand-holding and setup work at startup wages, so they're dressing it up linguistically rather than changing compensation or autonomy. This points to a growing gap between the skilled labor AI companies actually need deployed at customers and what they're willing to pay for it.