Pause for a moment and take a deep breath. According to Dylan Field, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Figma, there is little reason to panic about artificial intelligence sweeping away human jobs. In a recent appearance on Lenny’s podcast, Field shared a reassuring message for professionals who feel anxious about the rapid rise of AI technologies. He emphasized that it is, in fact, encouraging to see people instinctively realize that AI’s primary purpose is not to replace them, but to augment their abilities, extend their creative reach, and enhance their productivity in meaningful ways.
Field’s optimism is supported by data emerging from his own company’s research. In September, Figma published an extensive study involving 1,199 participants—a diverse group encompassing product designers, managers, engineers, researchers, data analysts, and marketing experts. The results painted a surprisingly positive picture of AI’s influence on the creative and product-building process. Roughly sixty percent of those surveyed reported that AI had freed up their time, allowing them to focus more heavily on high-value, strategic, or imaginative work rather than repetitive routines. An even larger proportion, close to seventy percent, stated that AI tools had made them demonstrably more productive and efficient overall. These findings suggest that, far from eroding job relevance, AI might actually be helping employees elevate the scope and quality of their contributions.
Instead of yielding to fear or skepticism, Field advised workers to shift their attention toward adaptation and continuous learning. As AI models evolve and digital tools grow more sophisticated, he believes professionals should think proactively about how to integrate these systems into their workflows, positioning themselves to grow alongside the technology rather than resisting it. This ethos reflects Field’s long-standing view that technological progress, while disruptive, can also be profoundly empowering if approached with curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to evolve.
Figma, the San Francisco–based company that Field co-founded in 2012 alongside his Brown University classmate Evan Wallace, has built its reputation on developing intuitive, collaborative tools that facilitate the design of websites, applications, and other interactive digital experiences. After years of steady innovation and community-driven growth, the company made headlines with its blockbuster initial public offering in July, an event that vaulted Figma’s valuation to nearly $30 billion. Today, the organization employs more than 1,600 people, and rather than shrinking or automating away positions, it continues to expand its workforce across departments. This trajectory underscores Field’s broader belief that AI, when thoughtfully applied, can be a catalyst for expansion—not a threat to employment.
Though Figma is actively exploring the ways artificial intelligence can streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce operational costs, Field’s focus lies elsewhere. He is far more intrigued by the idea of using AI to unlock unforeseen avenues of creativity, innovation, and business growth. For him, the technology’s true promise lies not in cost-cutting but in the ability to amplify human imagination and open new pathways for exploration. As he put it, AI represents an opportunity for individuals to learn, evolve, and engage with greater dimensions of knowledge, creativity, and even human consciousness. In this light, artificial intelligence becomes not a mechanical substitute for human labor, but a partner in the shared journey toward progress and understanding.
Field’s vision is consistent with the stance he has reiterated on several occasions: AI should be seen as a tool that augments human work, not one that replaces it. In an appearance earlier this month on the Rapid Response podcast, he went a step further, calling on designers to lead the global conversation about how to integrate these technologies responsibly. He acknowledged that while AI can automate many tedious or repetitive aspects of the design process—streamlining the “drudgery,” as he termed it—it cannot replicate the intuition, empathy, and aesthetic judgment that great designers bring to their craft. Instead, Field envisions a future in which AI democratizes access to creative tools, enabling more people to participate meaningfully in design. The challenge, he suggests, is to remove unnecessary friction from digital creation while preserving the uniquely human spark that makes innovation possible.
In essence, Field articulates a worldview in which AI is neither a looming threat nor a passing novelty, but an evolutionary step in the partnership between humans and their technologies. His message to the workforce is fundamentally clear: embrace AI as an instrument of empowerment, cultivate adaptability in the face of change, and recognize that the future of work will belong not to those who resist progress, but to those who are prepared to shape it.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/figma-ceo-dylan-field-ai-jobs-hiring-2025-10
