IBM CEO Arvind Krishna may be backtracking on previous statements that AI would ultimately cost thousands of jobs.

Krishna said in early 2023 that he could see as many as 30% of back-office roles replaced by AI over a five-year period. According to ITPro, it appears Krishna may be backtracking a bit on that prediction. The CEO said the company not only has no intention of laying off programmers and developers, but that he intends to hire even more.

“I don’t intend to get rid of a single one,” he said. “I’ll get more.”

It’s unclear exactly where Krishna draws the line for “back-office” jobs, but his recent statements may give some employees hope.