Learn to Code, They Said: How the Best Career Advice of 2020 Became 2026's Cruelest Joke
An entire generation followed the 'learn to code' playbook. Bootcamps, side projects, LeetCode grind. Now 143,000 tech workers got laid off in Q1, companies are mandating AI tools, and Stanford says early-career developer employment dropped 16%. The advice aged like milk.
They Fired 80,000 Developers for AI. Then the AI Needed a Developer.
55% of companies regret their AI-driven layoffs. One in three spent more rehiring than they saved. Klarna is hiring back the people it fired. IBM is tripling entry-level jobs. The Great AI Layoff Boomerang is here, and it's exactly as awkward as it sounds.
Your Company Didn't Replace You With AI. They Replaced You With a PowerPoint About AI.
295,000 tech jobs cut in Q1 2026. Oracle fired 30,000 people via a 6am email. CFOs privately admit AI layoffs will be 9x higher this year. But here's the thing — most of these companies haven't actually deployed the AI that's supposedly replacing you.