Yann LeCun, former chief scientist at Meta Platforms’s AI division, has criticised Dario Amodei for warning that artificial intelligence (AI) could eliminate up to half of all tech jobs.

Responding to Amodei’s earlier remarks, LeCun said the Anthropic chief “knows absolutely nothing about the effects of technological revolutions on the labour market,” adding that even AI leaders are not qualified to predict employment outcomes.

He also referenced other prominent AI figures, including Sam Altman, Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, arguing that none of them are the right experts to assess AI’s impact on jobs.

“Dario is wrong. He knows absolutely nothing about the effects of technological revolutions on the labour market. Don’t listen to him, Sam, Yoshua, Geoff, or me on this topic. Listen to economists who have spent their career studying this,” LeCun wrote in a post on X.

When a user pointed out that Amodei’s comments were from an older interview, LeCun doubled down, saying: “It’s still wrong, destructive, and dangerous.”

Amodei’s warning: 50% jobs at risk

Amodei, who leads Anthropic, has repeatedly warned about the disruptive potential of AI on employment.

In an earlier interview, he called for an end to what he described as “sugar-coating” by AI companies, cautioning that the technology could trigger mass layoffs across sectors, including technology, finance and law.

He has said AI could wipe out nearly 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within one to five years.

In his essay The Adolescence of Technology, Amodei argued that AI should be viewed as a “general labour substitute for humans,” writing: “I suspect we’ll have powerful AI… enough to do most or all jobs… in much less than 5 years.”

LeCun flags 'fear narrative'

LeCun’s criticism extends beyond job forecasts. He has also taken aim at Anthropic’s broader approach to AI safety and communication.

Reacting to the company’s handling of its Mythos AI model, reportedly withheld over cybersecurity concerns, LeCun dismissed the episode, writing: “Mythos drama = BS from self-delusion.”

Anthropic has positioned itself as a safety-first AI lab, but critics argue that its messaging may also serve strategic interests.

A leaked memo attributed to Denise Dresser, chief revenue officer at OpenAI, described Anthropic’s narrative as “built on fear, restriction, and the idea that a small group of elites should control AI.”

LeCun is not alone in pushing back against Amodei’s views. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has previously said he “pretty much disagree[s] with almost everything” Amodei has said on the subject.

“He believes that AI is so scary that only they should do it… AI is so expensive nobody else should do it… and so powerful that everyone will lose their jobs,” Huang said, questioning the broader implications of such claims.