Another Wave of AI-Related Cuts Shakes Puget Sound Region, This One at VISA

It's becoming an all too predictable event...

   More AI-Related Job Cuts Filter into WA State

This fall, VISA (yes the credit card folks) will be dumping 70 workers at their Downtown Bellevue Office, it will happen by October.

Company Officials claim it's part of a world-wide reorganization that is resulting in 2,600 cuts, about 7 percent of their workforce. But, they have also admitted AI is responsible.

  And Yes, Much of It AI-Related

As Visa and other companies find ways to replace humans with these sometime unproven 'robots' more and more humans are being expended.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal and MyNorthwest.com, VISA CEO Ryan McInerney said in a statement:

 “To capture the opportunities ahead and best position to lead this transformation, we must continue evolving how we work.”

 As AI Continues to Ravage the Tech Industry

He'd talked about driving efficiency across the company, that being what's best for their consumers and customers.  While many of the companies who've let got of workers due to AI admit it, some say the increased use of AI will create increased job opportunities in the near future---because someone has to train, oversee and continue to monitor and develop the technology.

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WA State ranks 2nd in the US in tech job losses since May of 2025, 11,000, behind only California.

 AI Still Has a Long Way to Go

When it comes to certain applications and functions, AI can be useful.  For a number of years, many companies who deal in digital tools have been automating certain tasks, with success.  One example I have mentioned is the Sports App Gamechanger.  Having used it for years with our daughter's club and HS softball teams, it's a digital scorekeeping and stat app, that also allows a digital online video broadcast of a sporting event.  You could watch your child play softball in Colorado while your'e in Kennewick.

Instead of keeping a 'paper' scorebook of all the hits, runs, errors, plays etc, you just punch buttons to indicate ball, strike, hit, error etc. home run, flyout, single, on and on.

And, when the human operator closes out the game when it's over, it uses a crude form of AI to "write" a summary of the story, based on all the plays. It's pretty cool!  Complete with a headline.  It also generates stats for your player, and even video clips of their at bats and defensive plays.

But when are searching for information, especially about breaking news or a feature that's recently happened, AI on Google will tell you they have "nothing" about that. Hmmm..  AI is terrible at breaking news, fast-moving information, or keeping pace in the news world.  I have seen that first-hand.