Your boss is automating their messages into the void

The Flood of Perfect Junk

A software developer on Hacker News described a workplace slowly sinking under an avalanche of AI-generated messages from their manager.

The boss, the writer says, has discovered a new excitement in automation tools: every Slack update, project brief, and status report rolls out as if penned by a tireless clerk who never tires of saying the same thing with extra polish.

“Whenever I see now his automated messages in Slack, my natural reaction is: why do I even bother reading that? That’s for machines to read,” the developer wrote. “I feel left alone. This is not a company anymore. Everyone is talking to AI now.”

What started as enthusiasm has turned into what the writer calls “haos” — people stepping on each other’s work, no sprints or planning cycles left, and a stream of near-perfect but lifeless updates that no human has time to absorb.

“If It’s Important, Someone Will Speak to You”

The replies from other workers were blunt, practical, and largely dismissive of the content itself.

Several suggested simply ignoring most of it. One long-time developer said they stopped reading the bulk of their email years ago after it became overwhelming. “If it’s important, someone will speak to me about it,” they wrote, adding that the approach has worked for roughly a decade.

Another recommended feeding the boss’s AI output back into an AI system — using tools like Claude to produce a concise daily summary, so humans only see the distilled version.

A third worker offered a harder line: “First rule is — if you don’t write it, don’t expect me to read it. If you AI-write something, then let me get AI to read it too.” ¹

The ‘Vibe-Coded’ Problem

Some commenters warned that the real danger is not just noise, but false confidence. One developer noted that a colleague had been feeding questions into Claude and pasting the results onto internal documentation pages — only to discover later that much of the AI-summarized information was already out of date ¹.

Another commenter cautioned against “vibe-coded shit” — code or plans written by AI without proper review — and said the boss needed to be warned about the risks before teams drifted further into unguided automation.

A few others took a longer view: that this is just a phase workers have to endure while their managers run through their novelty period, and that eventually the boss will realize humans are still needed to get anything done.

What to Do When the Machine Won’t Stop Talking

The most commonly repeated advice boiled down to three things:

First, set personal boundaries. Do not feel obligated to read everything. Focus on the few things that actually require your attention and let the rest go.

Second, fight fire with fire. Use AI to summarize, filter, or even reply to the boss’s messages — but make it clear that an AI handled it.

Third, talk to your colleagues. Several commenters emphasized that the feeling of isolation is real, and that checking in with coworkers can remind you that you are not the only one drowning in perfectly written nonsense.

One worker summed up the sentiment most directly: “You just have to let it play out for them to realize actually they still need to cooperate with humans to get anything meaningful done.” ¹

This story reports on a trend for information only. It is not advice or encouragement to do any of it.

Key facts

• A developer on Hacker News described their manager flooding Slack with AI-generated messages.
• Several coworkers recommend ignoring most automated output and using AI to summarize it instead.
• One worker noted AI-generated internal documentation became outdated quickly.
• The most common advice is to set personal boundaries, use AI defensively, and talk to colleagues.

Sources

1. How do you deal with AI Output of your boss? | Hacker News — news.ycombinator.com