June 10, 2025 AI will “absolutely” change — and eliminate — jobs, says one of the most powerful voices in enterprise tech investing. Speaking at SuperReturn International in Berlin, Vista Equity Partners CEO Robert F. Smith warned investors that the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce is inevitable and imminent.
“All of the jobs currently carried out by one billion knowledge workers today would change due to AI,” Smith said. “I’m not saying they will all go away, but they will all change.”
(Source: [Entrepreneur](https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/vista-ceo-tells-superreturn-attendees-ai-will-take-your-job/492825), June 2025)
Smith’s comments underscore the accelerating role of private equity in reshaping the modern enterprise. Vista, which manages over \$100 billion in enterprise software investments, is known for acquiring businesses, cutting costs, and driving technology-led transformations. AI, Smith emphasized, will now be at the heart of that process.
“We think that next year, 40% of the people at this conference will have an AI agent and the remaining 60% will be looking for work,” he said.
While tech leaders often frame AI as a tool for productivity, Smith made it clear that private equity is prepared to wield it for structural change. That includes workforce reduction, operational redesign, and faster time-to-exit — especially in software-driven businesses.
At the same time, Smith called on business leaders to take responsibility for retraining. “You have to make it a part of your ethos,” he urged, advocating for proactive upskilling initiatives in underserved communities.
With AI adoption moving from promise to playbook, Smith’s message was less about disruption — and more about execution. Whether companies agree or not, private equity will be one of the fastest-moving forces behind AI implementation.
