'Dumpster Fire'—Cybersecurity Analyst: 'My Team At A 300K-Employee Firm Being Replaced By An AI We've Been Secretly Training For 2 Years'

A cybersecurity analyst says his entire 80-person team is being laid off and replaced by an artificial intelligence model they'd unknowingly been helping build.

In a viral Reddit post on r/cybersecurity, user northernlights wrote: “So it begins. Me and the other 79 in my team are being canned and replaced by an AI that it turns out we’ve been training for the past 2 years.”

The employee didn't name the company but said it was a major U.S. firm with roughly 300,000 workers. That detail sparked speculation among commenters, with guesses ranging from IBM IBM to Citigroup C and JPMorgan Chase JPM. The original poster said they’d wait to receive their severance before “naming and shaming.”

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Firing The Human Firewall

The news ignited a firestorm of reactions, with many in the cybersecurity community expressing both disbelief and concern. One user replied: “Everyone wants to play with AI, no one wants to admit they’re training their (not competent) replacement.”

Others weren't surprised, saying automation in security operations centers was inevitable. But many questioned whether AI was anywhere near ready to take over critical cybersecurity roles.

“A lot can go wrong with any automated process,” wrote one commenter. “AI can turbocharge dumb decisions or aggressively amplify little errors into very big ones.”

Even those working with top-tier AI tools voiced doubt. “We are a long, long way (as an industry) from a place where AI can be trusted to handle a SOC role,” another added. “Any corporation [that] goes full AI SOC is going to have a real bad time.”

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The Cheapening of Cybersecurity

The post also struck a nerve around a growing trend—cutting costs by cutting staff. “This is apparently the future of cybersecurity,” the original poster wrote. “I see a massive dumpster fire incoming as cybersecurity keeps getting cheapified.”

Several users echoed that sentiment, suggesting C-suite execs are being sold the idea that AI equals instant savings and efficiency.

“This is the script the vendors use to get buy-in,” one said. “The C-suite knows it’s BS… they are only talking with the vendor because they can reduce headcount.”

While some argued that AI could free up staff to focus on more strategic roles, others called that a fantasy. “There is always some displacement when implementing efficiencies,” one Redditor wrote. “But if people are honest about it, it is usually the people [who] don't have either the right soft skills or technical acumen to be retrained for a higher level role.”

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Job Market Reality Check

For job seekers in the field, the post was another harsh reminder of current conditions.

“Been in the industry for ~20+ yrs and I am getting turned down for help desk positions,” one cybersecurity veteran replied. “Now going back to baseline and I can’t get a job. Explain that one.”

Others cited broken hiring systems and oversaturated entry-level markets. “There are thousands of us out here actively searching for work,” one user said. “We are all getting tossed through ‘The Great Filter.'”

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