WOW. Thank you all for the advice!

I called before the AF posted on my World Arrival and didn't get anywhere.
I just called again, a few weeks after the AF posted and spoke to a regular CSR. She said they couldn't waive the AF, they could only downgrade. I asked to speak to a supervisor and she transferred me.

Again I was told they couldn't waive the AF, they could only downgrade. I kept pushing, repeatedly asking "So there's no way to waive the fee or any sort of offer for extra points based on spend?" and she seemed to get frustrated and finally say okay how about we waive it this year and you think about if you want to pay it next year. And she went over all the benefits 2 or 3 times inbetween all of this.

So thank you!

Additional info: First year having the card, $10k spend on it. I use it all the time.