How AI Automation is KILLING Traditional Jobs ft. Siddharth Ajmera Linkedin Sales Leader Revealing Insights

Is AI really coming for your job? 🤖

At the summit in Phuket, I sat down with Siddharth Ajmera, a sales head at LinkedIn with 20 years on the business side of tech, for this episode of Inside A Hustler’s Brain. 🔥

He brought a balanced, optimistic view on AI, jobs, trust and what it takes to win enterprise customers. 💼

📊 In this episode, we unpacked:

• 🌴 A corporate leader at a laptop-lifestyle summit
• 🤖 What AI means for freshers and IT jobs
• 🤝 Why AI can’t replace human judgement
• 😬 My honest take on letting people go
• 🏆 Siddharth’s three-question test for building trust
• 📊 Data, stakeholders and “risk disguised as logic”
• 🎯 How AI is changing recruiting
• 🚀 The four forces behind enterprise growth

🎥 Watch the full episode:

🌴 A Corporate Leader at a Laptop-Lifestyle Summit

For Siddharth, the summit was a different world from the corporate conferences he usually attends. Most people he meets work “9 to 5,” though he says the lines have blurred and it’s now “always on.” 🏢

Coming from a business family, he came to meet like-minded people who have “taken the plunge.” He’s done sales for organizations for 20 years and is asking himself: “Can I do it for myself?” He even left planning to read up on affiliate marketing. 💡

🤖 What AI Means for Freshers and IT Jobs

Siddharth is a technologist who moved to the business side, and he says he needs to become as fluent in AI as possible. One AI conference speaker put it this way: the AI we use today is “one of the worst AIs.” It’s only going to get better. 📈

Companies like Infosys that hired lots of software engineers will automate many processes, and I believe freshers will suffer. Siddharth agrees it’s harder, but adds that IT services firms like TCS and Wipro have been investing in AI for years. ⚙️

He doesn’t think fresher hiring will disappear. As firms move to outcome-based solutions, they still rely on freshers who learn on the job to keep costs down. Freshers just need to stay current and align with company goals. The industry survived 2009 and the pandemic, too. 🌊

For more on this topic, read Wilson’s expert opinion on whether AI will replace jobs. 🔗

🤝 Why AI Can’t Replace Human Judgement

“AI can’t replace the human judgement,” Siddharth says. Take a recruiter: you can automate a lot, but not the conversation they have with a candidate. “That trust cannot be built by an AI, at least not yet.” 🧠

His advice: treat AI as your buddy. “AI is not going anywhere.” Ask yourself how AI can make you more productive. “When one starts to think in that way, I think the future is bright.” ☀️

😬 My Honest Take on Letting People Go

I shared something that might offend some people: I’ve had to let go of some people at my agency. I gave them access to AI tools like Claude and asked them to learn, but some didn’t upgrade themselves and kept making errors in content writing. I feel bad, but that’s the reality, and many agency owners and CEOs I know have done the same. 😔

Siddharth agrees that some roles will become redundant and organizations have to watch their margins. “It may be controversial, but nobody owes you anything.” You have to take care of your organization. ⚖️

For another perspective, read how Kulwant Nagi rebuilt his career with AI. 💪

🏆 Siddharth’s Three-Question Test for Building Trust

The most important lesson about trust at scale is relevance. Siddharth learned it from his father, who runs his own business. Does your solution help your customer:

• 📈 Increase their revenue?
• 💵 Reduce their cost?
• ⚙️ Improve their operations?

“If your solution is not doing any of these three things, then you are not relevant to the customer.” 🎯

Beyond the sales talk, follow through after onboarding. Help customers hit their KPIs and look good in their organization, and they’ll see you as a partner, not a vendor. “As long as a customer can talk about the value they’re getting, the partnership goes on.” 🤝

📊 Data, Stakeholders and “Risk Disguised as Logic”

Improving a brand’s digital visibility takes a mix of all four: audience, content, channels and measurement. Start with the value you provide and the need you fulfil, then define personas and find where they live. A luxury car buyer is easy to find on LinkedIn; a mass consumer product may belong on Meta. “What gets measured gets delivered.” 📏

“Data will always tell you a story,” whether from an A/B campaign or a solution test. In large organizations, every business function has different needs, so you need a story for each stakeholder that makes them feel safe. “Enterprise selling is all about managing risks disguised as logic.” 🧩

For more on growth and marketing, read Rohan Chaubey on AI growth hacking. 📈

🎯 How AI Is Changing Recruiting

No one knows exactly where AI will be in a year, Siddharth says. But in recruiting, agentic AI is already automating prospecting, candidate searches, outreach and conversations. 🤖

The result: recruiters get more time to do what they do best, having conversations, building trust, and checking whether a candidate’s skills and culture fit both ways. That’s how you find niche talent. 🔍

Great sales leaders, he says, watch market trends, keep a single dashboard view of customers, and focus on customer success. In enterprise, it’s never one relationship; leaders, team members and cross-functional partners all need deep connections. 🤝

🚀 The Four Forces Behind Enterprise Growth

What will matter most in 2026: AI adoption, trust, human relationships or sharper positioning? “All four.” They’re part of the same wheel. 🛞

You can’t skip AI adoption, because boards are mandating it and customers expect their vendors to be AI-enabled. With so many similar solutions, sharp messaging earns you a seat with the right stakeholders, and trust works two ways through human relationships. 🔑

• 👴 One person to bring back: his grandfather, a serial entrepreneur who taught him to always have the right intent
• 💛 Best advice: from his mother: “Not everybody will win an award, but everybody will win a reward”
• 🙏 Last 24 hours: a hearty meal and a funny movie with family, then a temple visit
• 🚫 Regrets: his father taught him never to regret decisions made with the best knowledge you had
• 🦸 Hero: his father, who came to Mumbai in the early ’70s with nothing, built a business and still runs it at nearly 70
• 💰 His number: ₹100 crore, though “my number keeps changing”

On taxes, he says professionals carry most of the burden, and easing that could help India stop losing talent to brain drain. 🇮🇳

📝 Key Takeaways From the Siddharth Ajmera Interview

• 🤖 Today’s AI is the worst it will ever be, so keep learning
• 👩‍💻 Freshers will still be hired, but must stay current with AI
• 🤝 AI can’t replace human judgement or trust, at least not yet
• 🏆 Relevance means boosting revenue, cutting cost or improving operations
• 📊 Enterprise selling is managing risk disguised as logic
• 🎯 Agentic AI frees recruiters for real conversations
• 🚀 AI adoption, trust, relationships and positioning work together

❓ FAQs About Siddharth Ajmera

Who is Siddharth Ajmera?

Siddharth Ajmera is a sales head at LinkedIn with about 20 years on the business side of technology.

Will AI take fresher jobs?

Siddharth thinks it will be harder, but fresher hiring won’t disappear. Companies still rely on freshers who learn on the job, as long as they keep up with AI.

How do you build trust with enterprise customers?

Be relevant: help them increase revenue, reduce cost or improve operations, then follow through so they see you as a partner, not a vendor.

How is AI changing recruiting?

Agentic AI automates prospecting, searches and outreach, giving recruiters more time for conversations and assessing fit.

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If Siddharth’s perspective on AI and jobs helped you, share it with a friend who’s worried about their career. 💬

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