Gen-z is locked out because the economy is tanked. That certainly sucks. It sucked in 2001, and it sucked again in 2009, and it'll probably keep sucking like this for another couple of years. But AI is just the excuse: companies always grow if they can, because not growing would yield the advantage to their competition. Blaming it on AI lets them explain it away without saying anything which might scare investors.
Fair. I suppose the question, then, is whether companies will give opportunities to those left out in the cold during this downswing, even though they'll essentially be starting their careers in their late 20's-early 30's. Or that segment of the generation just gets fucked permenantly.
The article is about people who get locked out before even getting a shot.
The pivots you describe are real and necessary, but they’re facilitated by career foundations gen-z is locked out of establishing in the first place.