More than 5,500 tech layoffs less than two weeks into 2024
The latest rounds of tech job cuts are occurring across a range of roles and in both Big Tech companies and smaller startups.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/13/tech/tech-layoffs-ai-investment/index.html
Andy
Annualized, that would be 143K. Last year saw 263K and 165 in 2022.
DB2
I don’t think I would take the first two weeks of the year and try to annualize, I am just wondering how many jobs AI is really going to supplant and this is just the start of a decade trend in my opinion.
Andy
There is the money shot. How many jobs will not be created as a result of AI ???
Isn’t it always the case with innovation that workers are displaced? Containerized shipping did away with most longshoremen’s jobs. Whatever happened to all those telephone operators?
If an innovation is successful it creates economic growth and (different) jobs.
DB2
Are we sure this is about AI, or is AI a convenient scapegoat, covering offshoring of more “jobs”? I have been having issues with a Samsung TV recently. Their tech support people can type in English well enough, but, their spoken English is pretty poor. Several times, I have had to say “I do not understand what you said”, and ask them to repeat. Meanwhile, I am careful to speak slowly and clearly, and avoid using local idioms. I would think the Korean education system could teach English better than that, but maybe the tech support people are elsewhere, like 'Nam?
Steve
If an innovation is successful it creates economic growth and productivity. It doesn’t have to be more jobs. It could be fewer jobs.
Andy
Agreed. Most of the layoff’s happen in Jan, looks like annual ritual.
Right but then comes April and May, but mostly January.
Andy