When Chegg's stock dropped 99% from its 2021 peak, it became the most dramatic example of AI disrupting an entire business model overnight.
What Happened to Chegg?
Chegg was the dominant homework-help platform for college students. But when ChatGPT launched, students quickly realized they could get instant, free, personalized explanations — something Chegg's static Q&A database could never match.
By 2025, Chegg had laid off 45% of its workforce. By early 2026, they pivoted entirely to "workforce skilling" — essentially abandoning their core product.
The Broader Impact on Jobs
Chegg isn't an isolated case. AI is actively disrupting:
- Customer Support: AI chatbots now handle 80% of tier-1 support queries.
- Content Writing: AI-generated drafts are reviewed by humans, cutting writing teams by 60%.
- Data Entry & Analysis: Automated pipelines replace entire departments.
- Translation Services: Real-time AI translation has reduced demand for human translators.
Which Jobs Are Safe?
Roles that require deep human judgment, creativity, and physical presence remain resilient:
- Strategic business consulting
- Complex engineering and architecture
- Healthcare and caregiving
- Creative direction and brand strategy
The New Reality
The lesson from Chegg is clear: any job that involves organizing and retrieving information is at risk. The future belongs to professionals who can leverage AI as a tool rather than compete against it.