Pave

Two years into the AI boom, we finally have enough data to see what's working — and what's not. We surveyed 100+ VCs and founders and partnered with @pavecomp to analyze hiring, comp, and fundraising patterns across 8k+ startups. Here's what we found. 🧵

Survey data suggests that by 2030, roughly one in three entry-level roles will be automated. That number deserves a place in your workforce plan. Here's the prediction: by 2030, 34% to 39% of entry-level positions will be handled by AI. Mid-level roles follow at 20% to 31%. Track this and revisit annually. The reasoning is grounded in what's already happening. According to an @ICONIQCapital survey of 297 software executives, high-growth companies (100%+ YoY ARR growth) expect even higher automation rates than their slower-growing peers. Meanwhile, according to @pavecomp's compensation database (tracking 984K entry-level employees), entry-level workers as a share of the workforce dropped from 6.8% in Q4 2023 to 4.6% by Q3 2025. Customer support new hires fell from 8.3% to 2.88% in that same window. The trend line is moving in one direction. But here's the caveat that changes the calculus: Automating the role is not the same as eliminating the need to develop people. Entry-level roles have always served a dual purpose. They get work done, yes. But they also build the pipeline of future mid-level and senior talent. If you automate the bottom of your org chart without rethinking how people learn and move up, you don't save money. You create a leadership vacuum five years from now. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧: → Audit entry-level roles for automation potential AND developmental value. Some teach foundational judgment that's hard to replicate elsewhere. → Pair automated workflows with structured alternatives like project-based residencies, rotations, or apprenticeship tracks that still build bench strength. → Saving headcount today can quietly cost you leadership capacity tomorrow. The companies that get this right won't just automate entry-level work. They'll redesign how people enter and grow inside the organization. Where do you think entry-level automation actually lands by 2030, higher or lower than 34%? And what signal are you watching most closely?

✨ Wellfound Startup Hiring Highlight ✨ @pavecomp Benchmark pay, price jobs, build pay ranges, run merit cycles, and communicate total rewards in one end-to-end platform. See 16 open roles: wellfound.com/company/pave-3 Including: - Senior Software Engineer - Core Platform 👇

We're also hiring! Interested in joining a Forbes-recognized team doing work that actually matters? Check out our open roles here. bit.ly/4u7zCq8

Big news: Pave has been named a top 50 company on @Forbes' America's Best Startup Employers 2026, out of 500 startups nationwide. 🎉 This one belongs to our team. Thank you for showing up every day to solve fair, transparent compensation. This is yours. forbes.com/lists/americas…

It's Monday, let's talk comp. 👀 Compensation reviews can make or break employee trust. Yet so many companies are still running the same once-a-year process they've had for decades. We're curious: how does your company handle compensation reviews?

This chart should stop every founder mid-scroll. 📉 Customer support hiring as a share of new hires dropped from 8.3% in Q4 2023 to 2.88% in Q3 2025, according to @pavecomp Data Lab's real-time compensation dataset. That's a 65% decline in under two years. Look at the attached chart. Here's what to notice: 👇 → The decline is gradual at first. Q4 '23 through Q4 '24 hovers in the 7-8% range. Then the cliff arrives. Q1 '25 to Q3 '25 is where the bottom falls out. → The timing correlates with AI-native support tools reaching production quality. Companies are now reporting higher customer satisfaction AND higher deflection rates simultaneously. That used to be a tradeoff. 🤖 → An important caveat: this is share of new hires, not absolute headcount. If other functions are growing faster, the support share compresses even without support cuts. But a drop from 5.81% to 2.88% in a single quarter is hard to explain with denominator effects alone. 📊 → One early-stage company I've been watching redesigned their entire support workflow around an AI-first model before hiring a single human agent. Their first support hire was someone to manage the AI system, not answer tickets. That's a fundamentally different role. 🧠 What to do with this if you're building right now: 1️⃣ Model your support team around AI-augmented workflows from day one. Don't hire for last year's support architecture. 2️⃣ If you lead a support team today, the highest-leverage move is becoming the person who owns the AI integration, not the person who resists it. 3️⃣ If you're in the support tooling space, buyers are already restructuring teams around these tools. The "nice to have" window is closed. This is one of the clearest real-time signals of AI reshaping a specific job function. Already in the data. What other hiring categories would you want to see charted like this? 🤔

👀 customer support hiring in age of AI Via @pavecomp @Matthewschulman

Today we released an API connection between Pave and Shareworks by @MorganStanley By connecting our products customers unlock salary and equity data that keeps decision making fair and unbiased, reduces preventable retention, and keeps management aligned businesswire.com/news/home/2023…

If you're looking to up-level your compensation expertise - we have something for you! We've tapped our network of People Leaders and Comp Consultants to build a new resource called Comp Experts. Detailed content, from experts, on-demand, and free👉 pave.com/comp-experts

✨Introducing Foundations: a new product set that uses machine learning and real-time benchmarks to streamline the process of leveling your employees, building your salary bands, and highlighting pay inequities. Check out a live demo: pave.com/foundations-de…

Thrilled to be included with this stellar list of companies!

you heard it here first 🎧

new year, new look and feel for @pavecomp 💅 the good news is – our new brand is only the beginning of what we're excited about in 2023 ☺️pave.com/blog-posts/new…

If you're interested in learning more live, or want to check out how Pave can help accelerate compliance, we're hosting a pay transparency webinar on Dec 7th @ 10am PT. Register here: marketing.pave.com/preparing-for-…

🚨Your Guide to Pay Transparency: Preparing for New Laws in 2023 🚨 Check out the linked post to learn: 🤔What they mean 🗺Where they’re going into effect 🔮How to prepare Link: pave.com/blog-posts/pay… #paytransparency #paytransparencylaws #pay #salary

We’re humbled that @KleinerPerkins named Pave a “Champion of change in the workplace” and featured us in the latest Kleiner Perkins People Report 📖. Check it out to learn why thoughtful transparency is critical in the workplace 👉kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/P…

We've come a long way in a years time: - 📈 launched a real-time benchmarking product - 🌎 expanded into Europe - 🤝 acquired Option Impact - ⚖️ helped ~4,000 companies to make fairer comp decisions But what I really see from this is that we're just getting started, @PaveComp

We’re excited to announce Bands Land, a 4-part webinar series discussing band building, pay transparency, running seamless merit cycles, and more. No, it’s not Outside Lands or Coachella. But it’s still something you won’t want to miss. marketing.pave.com/bands-land

Say hello to the latest new product from Pave – Compensation Bands 🎸 Establish the foundation you need to build fair and transparent compensation practices at your company. Get all the details here: pave.com/blog-posts/int…