Copywriter says AI cost him Rs 2 lakh monthly income, left him with Rs 40,000 salary
A copywriter said on Reddit that AI-driven layoffs wiped out his freelance work and slashed his pay. His account of moving into a lower-paid Hyderabad agency role has gone viral.
A six-figure monthly income, the freedom of remote work and a flourishing freelance career; all of it, a copywriter claims, vanished in a matter of weeks as artificial intelligence (AI) reshaped the industry.
In a Reddit post titled "Went from 2l a month to 40k a month salary; the downfall of a lifetime," the man shared how he went from earning Rs 2 lakh a month to taking up a Rs 40,000-a-month agency job in Hyderabad after allegedly losing his clients and contracts during the AI boom.
The Redditor said he began freelancing eight years ago and secured his first full-time remote contract at just 18. Despite dropping out of college, he steadily climbed the ranks, eventually becoming a lead copywriter and earning a six-figure monthly income by the age of 22.
However, he claimed everything unravelled in 2026.
"2026 was my curse. Lost all my jobs and projects, and my monthly income came down to literally nothing from the wuthering heights of a 6-figure salary, in a matter of two weeks," he wrote.
According to the user, companies began replacing creative roles with AI tools, leading to his dismissal. "Well, I was apparently laid off from my job because they decided to train AI and take native employees," he claimed.
Eventually, he found work at a Hyderabad-based agency that handles marketing for Telangana Tourism. While grateful to be employed, he admitted the pay cut has been difficult to come to terms with.
"I'm being paid 40k a month, for a role bigger than my previous one, which used to pay me 2 lakhs a month. It makes my heart ache every day," he wrote.
See the post:
The copywriter said he now helps spearhead the agency's Telangana Tourism marketing strategy but feels both underpaid and creatively unfulfilled.
"People around me are poor on creativity. They work for the sake of working. No love. No passion... I do the work of five people now. I consider this the biggest downfall in my entire bloodline," he added.
The post resonated with many Reddit users, who described his experience as a reflection of the growing uncertainty facing creative professionals in the AI era.
While some sympathised with the steep drop in income, others encouraged him to treat it as a temporary setback, advising him to embrace AI as a tool rather than view it solely as competition.
Several users also pointed out that strong copywriters who adapt to changing technologies are likely to remain in demand, urging him to keep building his skills and explore new opportunities.
A six-figure monthly income, the freedom of remote work and a flourishing freelance career; all of it, a copywriter claims, vanished in a matter of weeks as artificial intelligence (AI) reshaped the industry.
In a Reddit post titled "Went from 2l a month to 40k a month salary; the downfall of a lifetime," the man shared how he went from earning Rs 2 lakh a month to taking up a Rs 40,000-a-month agency job in Hyderabad after allegedly losing his clients and contracts during the AI boom.
The Redditor said he began freelancing eight years ago and secured his first full-time remote contract at just 18. Despite dropping out of college, he steadily climbed the ranks, eventually becoming a lead copywriter and earning a six-figure monthly income by the age of 22.
However, he claimed everything unravelled in 2026.
"2026 was my curse. Lost all my jobs and projects, and my monthly income came down to literally nothing from the wuthering heights of a 6-figure salary, in a matter of two weeks," he wrote.
According to the user, companies began replacing creative roles with AI tools, leading to his dismissal. "Well, I was apparently laid off from my job because they decided to train AI and take native employees," he claimed.
Eventually, he found work at a Hyderabad-based agency that handles marketing for Telangana Tourism. While grateful to be employed, he admitted the pay cut has been difficult to come to terms with.
"I'm being paid 40k a month, for a role bigger than my previous one, which used to pay me 2 lakhs a month. It makes my heart ache every day," he wrote.
See the post:
The copywriter said he now helps spearhead the agency's Telangana Tourism marketing strategy but feels both underpaid and creatively unfulfilled.
"People around me are poor on creativity. They work for the sake of working. No love. No passion... I do the work of five people now. I consider this the biggest downfall in my entire bloodline," he added.
The post resonated with many Reddit users, who described his experience as a reflection of the growing uncertainty facing creative professionals in the AI era.
While some sympathised with the steep drop in income, others encouraged him to treat it as a temporary setback, advising him to embrace AI as a tool rather than view it solely as competition.
Several users also pointed out that strong copywriters who adapt to changing technologies are likely to remain in demand, urging him to keep building his skills and explore new opportunities.
A six-figure monthly income, the freedom of remote work and a flourishing freelance career; all of it, a copywriter claims, vanished in a matter of weeks as artificial intelligence (AI) reshaped the industry.
In a Reddit post titled "Went from 2l a month to 40k a month salary; the downfall of a lifetime," the man shared how he went from earning Rs 2 lakh a month to taking up a Rs 40,000-a-month agency job in Hyderabad after allegedly losing his clients and contracts during the AI boom.
The Redditor said he began freelancing eight years ago and secured his first full-time remote contract at just 18. Despite dropping out of college, he steadily climbed the ranks, eventually becoming a lead copywriter and earning a six-figure monthly income by the age of 22.
However, he claimed everything unravelled in 2026.
"2026 was my curse. Lost all my jobs and projects, and my monthly income came down to literally nothing from the wuthering heights of a 6-figure salary, in a matter of two weeks," he wrote.
According to the user, companies began replacing creative roles with AI tools, leading to his dismissal. "Well, I was apparently laid off from my job because they decided to train AI and take native employees," he claimed.
Eventually, he found work at a Hyderabad-based agency that handles marketing for Telangana Tourism. While grateful to be employed, he admitted the pay cut has been difficult to come to terms with.
"I'm being paid 40k a month, for a role bigger than my previous one, which used to pay me 2 lakhs a month. It makes my heart ache every day," he wrote.
See the post:
The copywriter said he now helps spearhead the agency's Telangana Tourism marketing strategy but feels both underpaid and creatively unfulfilled.
"People around me are poor on creativity. They work for the sake of working. No love. No passion... I do the work of five people now. I consider this the biggest downfall in my entire bloodline," he added.
The post resonated with many Reddit users, who described his experience as a reflection of the growing uncertainty facing creative professionals in the AI era.
While some sympathised with the steep drop in income, others encouraged him to treat it as a temporary setback, advising him to embrace AI as a tool rather than view it solely as competition.
Several users also pointed out that strong copywriters who adapt to changing technologies are likely to remain in demand, urging him to keep building his skills and explore new opportunities.
