Jeff Reynar says AI could be the first tech wave in 40 years to leave time gains with workers

Jeff Reynar, co-founder of this+that, argues that most workplace technologies sold as labor-saving tools have done the opposite in practice. In his view, personal computers, email, and smartphones raised output expectations instead of giving workers back the time those tools saved. He says AI may still follow that same pattern, especially in its early phase, as job boundaries blur and workers absorb tasks that once belonged to someone else. Still, Reynar sees a narrow path for AI to become an exception. Citing McKinsey’s estimate that AI could save knowledge workers about 30% of their daily time by 2030, or roughly 2.5 hours, he argues that companies could use those gains to improve quality, support deeper thinking, and make room for collaboration rather than simply demanding more of the same work. He also points to academic research from MIT and Stanford, Bell Labs office design, Thomas Allen’s “50-meter rule,” and evidence on open-plan offices to argue that creativity and face-to-face interaction are not easily replaced by digital systems.