Costco CEO Ron Vachris says tech is ‘elevating’ workers,’ not replacing them—as IBM and Delta bosses make the same bet on humans

The rise of AI has brought sweeping—and often uneasy—predictions about the future of work, with some tech leaders warning that entire categories of jobs could disappear. Elon Musk, for example, believes that in as soon as 10 years time, work could be completely optional thanks to the rise of robotics.

But while some companies have already used AI as a justification for reducing headcounts, Costco’s CEO Ron Vachris is pushing back on that narrative. Technology, he said, is not degrading jobs—but rather improving them.

“We’ve not displaced people because the business is growing at a faster rate,” Vachris said at The Economic Club of Chicago earlier this month. “Those employees who were doing those tasks before have now elevated up to more of a forward-thinking role.”

That doesn’t mean Costco is resisting tech innovation. The retailer, which employs more than 341,000 people globally, has used AI to streamline operations across parts of the business, from pharmacy and gas stations to accounting and IT. But Vachris said the technology is overall intended to support employees, not eliminate the need for them.

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