“There is a layoff list, and you are on the list,” the HR lady told Ni Ping bluntly in mid-May.

Ni had been expecting it. In March and April, rumors were circulating that a new wave of layoffs would happen in internet companies. AI-themed training sessions, token-use competition and hidden performance assessments were the new normal.  

Even with much preparation for this, he broke down emotionally. “I do not want to go through it again,” he told NextFin.

Ni had worked in CTrip as a back-end software engineer for about a year, with a monthly salary of 25,000 yuan. He worked in CTrip’s most lucrative hotel business unit.

With only one-year experience but a relatively high salary, Ni was a natural target for dismissal. Old employees are more familiar with the company’s business and they tend to use AI more efficiently.