Tech Layoffs and AI: Future Opportunities for Junior Devs

Deep knowledge in a specific area is crucial for tech professionals to thrive in the evolving job market.

### The Truth About Tech Layoffs and How to Succeed as a Junior Developer
* 📉 Recent tech layoffs are not due to economic downturns, as companies like Meta and PayPal have recorded **significant profits** despite reducing headcount.
* 👶 Junior developers face challenges due to **post-COVID overhiring**, **Elon Musk's cost-cutting influence**, **lack of deep knowledge**, and the **emergence of AI**.
* 🥦 To succeed, junior developers should focus on **mastering fundamentals**, developing **deep knowledge in one area**, and learning the **end-to-end software engineering process**.
* 🤖 AI is reshaping the tech job landscape, acting as "**Corporate OIC**" by enabling layoffs and boosting profits. However, it also creates opportunities for startups and new **avenues of competition** against tech giants.
* 🚀 "AI has dramatically **lowered the bar for creating a successful tech startup**."
* 💡 Building a real product that people use can help junior developers gain valuable skills and potentially **start billion-dollar companies**.
* 📚 "As long as you spend a lot of time learning the fundamentals well, you'll see everything else **kind of shares the same beginnings**."

it's no secret that it's been harder than ever to get a job recently. There are some really scary things about the recent Tech layoffs that nobody wants to admit, but there's also an antidote, and actually there's two. I'm going to share both of them here. So the news has been plastered with tech layoffs. Every CEO keeps saying we over hired during Co, and while that might be true, it's actually not the reason for the tech layoffs. Everybody is kind of lying. Take a look at this chart here. We've got meta with -3% in headcount, but their net income is up 73%. Paypal down 9%, up 76%. People keep telling me that there's this big recession about to happen, but it seems like everybody's actually doing pretty well. So why are they firing people? So I'm going to talk about two things. One is how do I get hired now, and two is maybe I don't care to get hired, and I know that sounds strange, but just hear

me out. So there are actually four trends that are coming together that's detrimental for junior devs. One is companies did overhire during COVID, but that explains the 2022 layoffs 18 months later in 2024. That doesn't explain it. Two, Elon Musk bought Twitter, and he showed just how much fat truly is in a tech giant. Say what you about Elon Musk, but even his biggest haters can't really deny how much he's brought the operating cost of Twitter down. Three, junior devs know how to code, but they don't have deep knowledge. And four, AI knows how to code, but doesn't have deep knowledge. Let's explain what the real problem is. You have no deep knowledge. I feel like there's been no shortage of content lately about how new junior engineers have no deep knowledge, and honestly, I think that content is often promoted by people that also don't have very much deep knowledge. Deep knowledge is tricky because every 6 months I look back and realize just how clueless I was about a technology I was using 6 months

prior most people suffer from the Dunning Krueger effect. In the beginning, they learn just a little, and they're overconfident in their skills. They think they're a genius. Then when they realize how much they don't know, they lose all of their confidence, and it takes years to build it back up. I usually feel like I'm somewhere in the valley of despair. There's way more to any problem or system than you could possibly know, so try to be humble. The know-it-all types tend to always be at the peak of Mount Stupid. I tend to stay away from those people. Having said that, I do think there's a new age script Kitty phase that people tend to be going through, and the answer is simple but not fun. You have to eat your broccoli. Every year, people tell me that being a tech is tough 'cause you have to stay on top of the latest technologies. Honestly, I've never understood that. I've never had that experience. As long as you spend a lot of time learning the fundamentals well, you'll see everything.

else kind of shares the same beginnings. For example, let's say I'm learning a new programming language, and I want to learn how to write a variable. Easy enough, but not if you're a Python script kitty. 'Cause in C++, if you want to learn a variable, now you need to know static types, pointers, references, heap memory. If I'd gone the other way around, well, the Python variable would have been really easy to learn because it's just a subset of the C++ one. Usually, new technologies don't introduce a new way of doing things; they just make the old ways much easier to do. So, as long as you know your fundamentals, you're fine. And I guess this would follow up to my next point, which is learn something very well. If you don't have deep knowledge, you need to obtain deep knowledge in something. Now, I've already made videos on my recommendations of what programming languages to learn. I'm not going to talk about that here. I ultimately don't really care. Just learn one thing really, really well. Don't worry about running

after the new shiny object every 2 minutes, there's been an uptick in what I'd call Tech news recently. In YouTube and Twitter, it's always talking about the latest JS framework or you know why the new jQuery release is really important. Now I do love that content. I spend a lot of time watching that content, but I don't use it as a blueprint for what I should be doing. It's just so I can sound smart to people when I'm at parties. It has no bearing over how much money that I can make in my career. When I say learn one thing, it could be anything. It could be a tech stack if you're a full stack person. It could be one backend framework really well if you're backend. It could be the latest shiny JS framework if that's what you're into. Whatever you get the most joy from learning, just learn that. Learn anything except rust. Don't learn rust. Kidding, kidding, kidding. I just wanted to see how much of a reaction I could get. Rust fanboys, don't come to my

house now everybody's being dishonest. I think let's talk about ai's real role in all of this. So, strangely before I talk about that, let's talk about OIC. OIC has been taking the World by storm. They're not today's sponsor by the way, there's no sponsor today. OIC is a miracle drug that helps people lose weight just by taking a pill. The thing is, people aren't really being honest about when they're using it. They want to pretend like they're just getting there naturally. Now, I was reading Scott Galloway recently and he had this article that was basically explaining how AI is Corporate OIC. This is such a good article. There are a few points I want to highlight from it. Quote, one recent financial news features two stories: layoffs and record profits. A company lays off 5, 10, even 25% of its Workforce and 6 to 12 months later its operating margin hits new Heights. The ultimate peanut butter and chocolate shareholder confection is meta which produced a singular Hall of Fame quarter.

in Q4, this is actually pretty scary because it tells us what we actually feared, which is maybe our Utopia of tech jobs is over. And to some degree, I think it is in its current form. But there are two really redeeming points in this article I want to bring up. This will correctly raise concerns about a dystopia where no one can find work, but AI will ultimately create jobs. Is there will be new windows of attack against corporate Titans. The AI Revolution will inspire a golden age of startups with lower infant mortality, as there will be fewer people, i.e., less risk required to run sustainably. So basically, there's much more opportunity in startups, and there will be for the coming years. So an antidote to, if I could sum up this entire channel in one phrase, it would be build something that people actually use. I've been saying it for years, and the reason I've been saying it is teach a man to fish. I want you guys to understand that coding doesn't have to

be a cute little job where you get a nice pat on the head from Daddy meta, and possibly a paycheck if they think you're still valuable. For now, you can literally create value, and you can create it in a scalable way. You can be rewarded 1,000x for your input. Now, I get that this isn't what everybody wants to do in life, but I want you guys to be really conscious about making that decision. Imagine yourself as Aang from Airbender. I keep telling you that you're the Avatar, but you just kind of want to keep being a kid and have someone else take care of you. You have way more power in your own life. I'm trying to help you realize that if you haven't already. If you learn to fish, you'll realize you don't actually need a tech job. In fact, this could be the best time for you to start a startup. AI dramatically lowered the bar for creating a successful tech startup. If meta can use it, why can't you use it?

against them specifically with llms there's so much unlocked opportunity that people can do. And here's the thing everybody is trying to hire a senior Dev, but senior devs have just as much llm experience as you or I do because llms are so new. Even if you decide not to make a startup, if you're currently unemployed, how could building a real product that people actually enjoy hurt you even if it's just an open source project or a free product. You're going to learn the skills that make you super valuable as a senior engineer. I think the future is full of billion-dollar companies that were started because their Founders were laid off from cushy tech jobs. Right now when it comes to startups, I just launched one one year ago, and I have to admit I've learned more in one year than I did from 3 and 1 half years working at Microsoft. I'm going to give you some advice. You don't have to take it. My goal on this channel is to never be The Annoying knit all kid.

to be that kid on the Polar Express or Professor Umbridge and Harry Potter. So many people in the world say you have to do everything in a very specific way, but you don't really. You just have to find what works for you, and I'm going to share what worked for me. You need to understand the entire process of software engineering end to end if you want to actually get deep knowledge on anything. It's one thing to develop on Local Host; it's another thing to figure out how to get that product into the world, get people using it, get feedback, and iterate on it. That's what you hire senior Engineers for. You hire senior Engineers to design these systems, and then they basically just tell the junior Engineers what to code. And because you're stuck down down here, you have yet to experience the Deep knowledge you can get from owning something end to end. So there's one recurring theme that I've felt in my computer science career, and that is you can either go for the candy or the broccoli. The people that always eat the

candy never develop deep knowledge because they're just going for the new shiny thing. They don't understand the fundamentals, and the people that always go for the broccoli never build anything very interesting because they always need to build their own custom solution. They can't build off of the shoulders of other people. So you need to consume just enough broccoli that you really appreciate the candy and understand how the candy is made. My analogy fell apart, but I think you get what I mean. Now I want to employ the gentleman's agreement between you and I. If you've watched one or more of my videos before and you enjoyed it, then uh, you have to subscribe. That enables me to continue to make content for you. So I'm not going to check. It's a gentleman's agreement. Obviously, I can't check, but if you enjoy the videos, you subscribe, and I continue to make them for you. That's our Gentleman's Agreement.

The Broken Senior-Only Job Market

My name is Jason Goodison, I'm a YC founder, and I make Youtube videos.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonlevigoodison/


Jason Goodison

The Truth About Tech Layoffs and Job Hunting

Tech layoffs are happening despite companies' positive financial performance, driven by multiple factors including overhiring, cost-cutting efforts, and the lack of deep knowledge among junior developers.

Job seekers need to focus on building deep knowledge and staying humble, rather than chasing the latest technologies.

Mastering the fundamentals is crucial for success in the tech industry and overcoming the challenges of job hunting.

The Importance of Deep Knowledge in Learning Programming

Learning the fundamentals of programming is crucial, as new technologies often build upon existing concepts.

It is essential to develop a deep understanding of one thing rather than constantly chasing new trends.

Focusing on mastering a specific tech stack or framework, rather than constantly switching, is more beneficial for career growth.

AI is compared to the OIC drug in its impact, causing layoffs but also generating record profits for companies.

The use of AI is seen as a potential threat to traditional tech jobs, but it is also expected to create new opportunities, particularly in the startup sector.

Scott Galloway's article highlights concerns about a potential dystopia with the loss of jobs, but also the potential for a golden age of startups driven by the AI revolution.

Empowering Yourself for Success in the Tech Industry

The tech industry offers scalable opportunities for creating value and achieving success, whether through a startup or independent projects.

The demand for senior developers and the potential of AI present a favorable environment for leveraging low- to mid-level experience.

Building real products and gaining skills can lead to valuable opportunities, potentially surpassing the learning experience in traditional tech jobs.

Finding Your Path in Software Engineering

Understanding the end-to-end process of software engineering is crucial for deep knowledge.

Senior engineers are hired to design systems and guide junior engineers, but owning a project from start to finish provides unique insights.

Balancing between exploring new technologies and understanding the fundamentals is key to developing profound knowledge.