tl;dr: Knowledge workers are experiencing widespread existential disillusionment as AI abstracts them further from already-abstract work, threatening to shatter the "Workism" faith that gave corporate careers meaning. The author argues that AI's elimination of the "messy middle"—collaboration, exploration, and human relationships—removes what actually retained talent, particularly "experience-first" workers who value the journey over outcomes. If this triggers a mass loss of faith, companies may find that when they try to rehire, top talent has moved on to more genuinely fulfilling pursuits.