Figma CEO Dylan Field believes the conversation about artificial intelligence and the future of work is missing the point. In his view, AI isn’t coming to take jobs — it’s coming to reshape them.
“I think it’s pretty encouraging that folks understand, viscerally, that this is not coming for you,” Field said during an appearance on Lenny’s Podcast on Thursday.
His remarks come at a time when concerns about AI’s impact on employment continue to dominate public debate. But Field, who has led Figma since co-founding it in 2012 with Evan Wallace, said the company’s latest research paints a more optimistic picture.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
A Figma survey published in September examined how AI tools are affecting productivity and creativity among 1,199 professionals, including designers, product managers, developers, researchers, data specialists, and marketers. The findings challenge fears of mass job displacement.
Nearly 60 percent of respondents said AI helps them spend more time on “high-value work” by reducing repetitive tasks. About 70 percent reported feeling “more productive or efficient overall” since integrating AI tools into their workflow.
Field said those results align with what he’s observed across creative and technical industries: that workers are not being replaced but rather assisted by automation that removes the dullest parts of their jobs.
“The drudgery — how do we remove that from the design process? How do we give more access to more people?” he asked, echoing a similar sentiment he shared on the Rapid Response podcast earlier this month.
He believes this shift should empower workers rather than alarm them, and instead of worrying, people should focus on how they’ll adapt as AI tools and models advance.
A Designer’s Perspective on the AI Revolution
Figma, based in San Francisco, has built its reputation on creating collaborative software for designing websites, apps, and digital interfaces. Its tools have become indispensable to product teams around the world, making it one of the most influential companies in design technology.
The company’s July IPO was one of the biggest of the year, valuing Figma at nearly $30 billion. With more than 1,600 employees, Figma continues to expand, even as many tech firms have slowed hiring or cut staff amid automation-driven efficiency pushes.
Field said Figma is exploring how AI can streamline internal operations and lower costs, but he emphasized that its broader strategy centers on using AI to unlock new creative and business opportunities — not on workforce reduction.
Field’s perspective stands in contrast to predictions from economists and technology analysts who warn of potential large-scale job losses as AI becomes more capable. A number of studies have suggested that millions of white-collar jobs could eventually be automated, particularly in industries reliant on writing, coding, and administrative work.
But Field argues that history suggests otherwise. Each technological leap — from the industrial revolution to the internet boom — has ultimately led to new industries and roles that didn’t exist before.
This philosophy is woven into Figma’s approach to product development. The company has integrated generative AI features into its design suite, allowing users to quickly generate design variations, analyze user feedback, and automate parts of the creative process — while leaving the conceptual and emotional aspects firmly in human hands.
“There’s a need for designers to lead the charge, and AI will only get you so far,” Field said.
A Future of Human-AI Collaboration
For Field, the future of work is not about competing with AI, but collaborating with it. He believes the more we learn to use these systems as partners, the more we’ll be able to focus on what makes us human — our ideas, our empathy, our curiosity.
He sees AI as a force that will democratize creativity and empower non-designers to participate in product building. This could lead to broader innovation across industries, as people who once lacked technical skills gain the ability to create through natural-language interfaces and intuitive AI-driven tools.
“You can see it as a path for you to learn and grow, and explore the world and human consciousness,” he said.
That vision aligns with Figma’s founding mission — to make design accessible and collaborative. AI, in Field’s view, accelerates that mission by removing barriers and expanding access to creative expression.
As one of Silicon Valley’s youngest CEOs to take a company public, Field has become a leading voice in the discussion on how technology reshapes work. His optimism about AI stands out in an industry where automation is often portrayed as a threat to human labor.
Figma’s growth trajectory, combined with its deep integration of AI into design tools, suggests that the company is positioning itself at the center of that transformation — one where technology amplifies human potential rather than replacing it.
Thus, the takeaway for Field is that the future belongs to those who learn to work with AI, not against it.