{"id":14318,"date":"2025-06-26T09:32:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T09:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newestek.com\/?p=14318"},"modified":"2025-06-26T09:32:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T09:32:42","slug":"crowdstrike-is-cutting-jobs-in-favor-of-ai-heres-why-you-shouldnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newestek.com\/?p=14318","title":{"rendered":"CrowdStrike is cutting jobs in favor of AI. Here\u2019s why you shouldn\u2019t."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Security giant CrowdStrike announced via an official SEC filing<\/a> last month that it plans to cut approximately 500 jobs<\/a> \u2014 about 5% of its global workforce \u2014 as part of a strategic shift toward greater reliance on artificial intelligence to drive efficiency and growth.<\/p>\n

The security vendor expects to continue to hire in key strategic areas despite cuts to other parts of its business, which it expects will cost up to $53 million.<\/p>\n

Other technology firms, such as financial services firm Klarna<\/a>, have made similar moves, citing AI-driven efficiencies as a rationale for workforce reductions. Such news reports come amid rising pressure from company boards<\/a> to push CEOs to replace IT workers with AI.<\/p>\n

But experts urge CISOs to push back against using AI technologies as a means of reducing headcount, instead arguing that the technology is better deployed in boosting capacity rather than as a means to cut costs.<\/p>\n

Doing so would provide CISOs a powerful means for combatting a rising security team scourge: burnout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is a powerful enabler in security but framing it as a justification for job cuts may overlook its true value,\u201d says Robert Phan<\/a>, CISO at cloud-based directory platform JumpCloud. \u201cIn reality, cybersecurity talent is still in short supply, and the real challenge facing many CISOs is burnout rather than redundancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phan added: \u201cThoughtfully deployed, AI can help alleviate pressure on stretched teams by handling repetitive, low-level tasks like log analysis, alert triage, anomaly detection, and policy enforcement, freeing up human analysts to focus on more strategic, high-impact work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bigger picture<\/h2>\n

Phan\u2019s company JumpCloud views AI as an augmentation layer rather a replacement to skilled cybersecurity staff. In doing so, Phan stresses the importance of ensuring that AI tools are explainable, auditable, and align with existing governance structures, including strict adherence to data privacy requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s helping our teams move faster, spot anomalies earlier, and focus their energy where it counts,\u201d Phan says. \u201cThat\u2019s the path forward for CISOs; not cost-cutting, but capacity-building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Quirk<\/a>, founder of boutique consultancy AI Bridge Solutions, cited the example of IBM, which automated large parts of its HR processes without eliminating roles. \u201cThey reinvested in high-value talent, increasing productivity and strengthening their workforce,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Quirk argued that job functions in a fast-moving sector like IT inevitably change. While vibe coding and generative AI are reshaping software development, coders are still required in system design and quality assurance, among many other functions. \u201cThese aren\u2019t reductions in value, they\u2019re shifts in how human capability is applied,\u201d Quirk says.<\/p>\n

CISOs should take this to heart and shape clear AI strategies with strong governance and human oversight, Quirk advises.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor CISOs, the takeaway is clear: AI can offload repetitive, manual security tasks like log analysis, alert triage, and compliance reporting, giving teams space to focus on strategic threats and risk,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Short-term savings, long-term consequences<\/h2>\n

Other experts expressed skepticism that CrowdStrike\u2019s planned job cut are directly related to greater use of AI since the vendor has heavily relied on machine learning and similar technologies since its founding.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrowdStrike\u2019s layoffs are likely very little to do with AI; it is just sold as that,\u201d Jaco Vermeulen<\/a> of boutique consultancy BML tells CSO. \u201cAs per their quarterly investors report, it is much more likely that they are closing a non-profitable business function\/division or outsourcing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of CrowdStrike\u2019s intentions, the drum beat to replace headcount with AI will likely only get louder in the coming months. Professor Paulo Cardoso do Amaral<\/a>, a business strategist and author of Business Warfare<\/em>, warned that downsizing may offer \u201cshort-term savings,\u201d but only at the \u201cpotential cost of long-term resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue value lies in how AI can augment human capability, driving greater effectiveness and innovation,\u201d Cardoso says.<\/p>\n

Security teams are not merely operational but \u201crepositories of irreplaceable know-how\u201d so experienced cybersecurity professionals \u201cmust remain at the core of any serious cybersecurity strategy,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Moreover, CSOs should focus on leveraging AI to free up employees for creative and strategic thinking, rather than viewing it as a wholesale replacement for human expertise \u2014 which remains integral to security operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile today\u2019s AI offers immense value in areas such as task automation and information synthesis, it cannot, at least for now, replicate human intuition and experience,\u201d says Bruce Jenkins<\/a>, CISO at application security testing firm Black Duck. \u201cAI undeniably surpasses humans in knowledge access and speed of analysis, but applying that knowledge in a way that is both contextually appropriate and consistently sound requires experience and judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenkins adds: \u201cAlthough AI will likely continue refining these capabilities with increasingly low error rates, organizations should not evaluate every role, particularly in cybersecurity, solely on the cost comparison between AI and human labor.\u201d<\/p>\n

CISOs should carefully assess where AI can enhance operations, whether through automation, efficiency, or by augmenting subject matter expertise, Jenkins argues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who push too far too soon may come to regret their choices, especially when a breach analysis highlights that AI didn\u2019t fail in its assessment but in its recommended course of action,\u201d Jenkins warns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Security giant CrowdStrike announced via an official SEC filing last month that it plans to cut approximately 500 jobs \u2014 about 5% of its global workforce \u2014 as part of a strategic shift toward greater reliance on artificial intelligence to drive efficiency and growth. The security vendor expects to continue to hire in key strategic areas despite cuts to other parts of its business, which… <\/p>\n

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