Career development

1d

I Had the Dream Job Everyone Wanted. Then My Peers and I Lost It All.

The golden era of the tech industry is dead -- leaving 1.2 million laid-off workers like me scrambling in a job market that no longer wants us.

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On Feb. 10, 2025, at 7:32 a.m., the dreaded email hit my inbox. After nearly six years at Meta as a content strategist, one total... company rebrand, and three previous mass layoffs, I got the axe. My time was bound to come. I often joked darkly that I was a cat with only so many lives left.

In six weeks, I was scheduled for a 30-day sabbatical. To add insult to injury: The company announced the layoffs were due to "low performance." Despite years of glowing performance reviews in which I received high praise from my peers and managers and the numerous messages of support from colleagues, it still felt like being kicked to the curb and being called a loser.

I went on the offensive and drafted the obligatory LinkedIn post announcing my layoff and saying how very disappointed I was, how I planned to recharge, and yes, I was looking for work, so wouldn't everyone pretty please keep me in mind for open roles?

Outwardly, I kept it rosy. Inwardly, I was fuming.

It was humiliating. This was a first for me, and I thought I'd seen it all (harassing a former boss to pay months of back wages while recovering from brain surgery only to be laid off anyway is a formative experience). I had more than a decade of experience in my field and a Big Tech pedigree that had reliably opened doors for me. I was confident I'd find work again -- I always had.

The 2010s and early 2020s were the golden era of tech -- aggressive hiring, generous salaries, and flowing perks defined the industry: gourmet meals, LASIK stipend, free therapy. The years since have been a never-ending bloodbath. More than 1.2 million people have been laid off in tech since 2022, according to TrueUp.Io. Because these are only the publicly reported layoffs, the number could be higher.

Recruiters used to message me weekly, sometimes daily, a few years ago. The options were copious, the outlook optimistic. After enduring so much job insecurity early on in my career, I thought I had made it. In the past year, though, I've applied to at least 100 roles for which I was an excellent fit. I've secured referrals, used A.I. to customize my résumé and cover letter (which one survey shows is only overwhelming and slowing down hiring, so thanks for nothing, Gemini), openly shared on social media, and simply persisted.

I'm a journalist and writer by trade, so I've refocused on nurturing my craft. Last year, I wrote and published a children's book. I started pitching to publications again and picked up activities that proverbially filled my cup: I learned pottery, organized community events, fundraised for mutual aid, and started on neglected home projects -- I even finished some of them. Some days, I've entertained the idea of opening a business (laundromats are apparently low-risk, high-success ventures). But that requires more time and energy than I'm willing to sacrifice while raising a young child and entertaining my dreams of becoming a star potter.

But my job prospects have been bleak. I've interviewed for three full-time roles and one fixed-term contract role in more than a year. I've never felt so unemployable.

My story isn't unique. Tech workers across the industry are struggling to regain employment in their fields despite relentless searching, experiencing burnout on top of unemployment. People like me, once heavily recruited and flush with career choices, now can't catch a break. The applications go unanswered, the layoffs keep mounting, and we clamor over the few jobs left, wondering whether we've overstayed the party in Silicon Valley.

"I applied to hundreds of roles over several months. But the process was extremely slow and led nowhere," technical recruiter A. Kapadia, who asked that her full name not be disclosed, told me. Kapadia was laid off in March 2024 and has held two short-lived roles since, supporting herself through paid content creation and side jobs like dog-sitting. "As a recruiter, I know how competitive things are in this job market. Hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for one job, and hiring has become slow. Knowing this made it so hard for me to stay optimistic."

Losing my cushy tech compensation package was obviously a huge hit. Gratefully, I live in a dual-income household where my spouse is gainfully employed and compensated well. But that's not the case for everyone, and some aren't yet ready to give up on the tech dream.

"I'm still applying mostly in tech," Liz Daley Khan told me. Daley Khan is a knowledge management professional and people manager who was laid off from Uber in March after nearly nine years. Daley Khan's wife was laid off from her own tech job in November 2025, and the two were dependent on Daley Khan's income and health insurance to pay for their home's mortgage, treat chronic health conditions, and care for a recently adopted cat.

"Totally shamelessly, it's where the money is," she said. "In order to not take a massive pay cut, I'm going to have to try to stay within tech. I don't have time to wallow any longer. With my wife and I both looking for jobs, every plan is Plan A. I'm applying to everything. Staying busy has helped keep the anxiety at bay, but the fear that our savings will run out is real."

Others, exhausted by the dead ends, have been forced to leave the industry altogether. Alyssa Galvan, a content strategist and editor who worked at Meta for more than seven years before being laid off, told me that between May 2023 and August 2024, she had just two job interviews.

"One was a phone interview with an agency contracted with Meta that offered me my previous job -- as a contractor for half the pay and no benefits. I declined it," she said. "The other was for a retail position at a local Kohl's, which ghosted me."

I, too, was recruited for my exact role at Meta by numerous staffing agencies for months. Like Galvan, it was for a fraction of the pay and without benefits. Galvan, whose husband was also unemployed after a tech layoff, eventually enrolled in graduate school and currently works part-time as a writing tutor and editor of various blogs and journals at San Jose State University.

"I wasn't having any success finding a job in the field I had spent 10 years in, and it was extremely demoralizing," she said. Pivoting was her "best chance at obtaining gainful employment," she added.

Historically, economic downturns are normal and are followed by periods of growth. And the U.S. job market overall is experiencing a slowdown, with hiring rates dropping to 3.1 percent, the lowest since April 2020, according to the February Job Openings and Labor Turnover report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the tech industry's stability has been waning for the last four years, and significantly trailed the rest of the U.S. labor market.

"Tech in particular has gone from adding 200,000 to 300,000 jobs per year to losing 10,000 to 50,000 jobs per year in one of the worst swings of any sector," Joseph Politano, founder of the Apricitas Economics newsletter, told me. "Some of the headlines can be overexaggerated, but this is genuinely the worst tech job market in decades, and if the hiring slump persists for another year, this downturn will be the longest on record."

What's particularly frustrating is that many CEOs admit they over-hired during COVID and are now cutting costs to improve "efficiency" and to ramp up A.I. infrastructure. Not only is A.I. a costly investment that companies hope will pay off by automating more jobs, but the layoffs are also occurring at a breathless rate. While I was writing this piece, Oracle slashed another 30,000 jobs on March 31.

Politano explained that the hiring rate isn't even close to offsetting A.I.-related job losses across the whole industry -- with many of the losses concentrated in companies that specialize in software that's "easily replicable" by large language models. "I don't think it's a coincidence that despite many macro factors working in tech's favor this year, hiring has only gotten worse," he said.

Coupled with sweeping return-to-office policies, people who were hired remotely or moved out of tech city centers like New York, Seattle, and San Francisco (hi, it's me, your average SF COVID-era expat) are in heated competition with one another. Nearly half of Americans who're actively looking for work report it's been a negative experience, with many saying they can't get an interview, according to recent Gallup polls.

It's obvious to job seekers and recruiters alike that there are far more applications per job opening, and still hiring managers feign shock when they turn me down for a job due to the overwhelming response.

A.I. is largely to blame, yet again, for this, according to Tiberiu Trandaburu, CEO and founder of tech staffing agency Uptalen. "By adding the use of it, recruiting teams are increasing their productivity, but it's leading to more noise due to the greater number of people in the process and causing over-filtering and missing out on good candidates who don't meet rigid criteria," Trandaburu told me.

I eventually landed a fixed-term contract role at another big tech company. I'm paid 25 percent less than I was for my job at Meta, with five annual PTO days and zero paid holidays, and I'm overqualified for the work I do. Nonetheless, I'm grateful to be employed -- and in the field I've invested so much of my career in. But I'm also exhausted. I feel like I'm trapped in a maze that keeps changing its configuration, and I dread the state of the job market when my contract ends in a few months.

Best-case scenario: It'll be a jobseeker's market again (soon), A.I. will really pan out to be a tech revolution, and we'll all live happily ever after ... but at what cost? Historic unemployment, lower quality of life and sunken morale among workers -- and it won't be without consequence.

What tech leaders fail to grasp is that as they reprioritize toward a technology that's positioned to displace more workers, they're sending a message: Profits trump all and workers are fat to trim, so, fall in line -- the golden era of tech is dead.

Forty-nine percent of the American workforce says they're struggling, according to Gallup, the first time it's outnumbered the percentage of folks who say they're thriving. And discontent can be contagious, ultimately having a ripple effect on worsening morale and productivity.

The U.S. job market is projected to add 5.2 million jobs through 2034. The health care and social assistance industries are expected to experience the largest job growth and be the fastest-growing industries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tech is playing a risky game of chicken with talent -- because they will find greener grass elsewhere. Workers may get the last word yet.

As for me, I'm not sure if I can wait around for tech to get its act together or the A.I. revolution that may or may not be. My pottery studio fee isn't going to pay for itself -- but maybe that laundromat will. more

prasad r
8
4h
You are fortunate to work in big tech companies and earned money. There are many who did not get a single job for years, some not able to complete... even their degree. There are many who don't have access to drinking water , food and shelter. So you are very much blessed. You will have every options open to go for a better job than you had. This is life. more

Anonymous member

Career development

2d

My CEO complains about upward delegation, yet she wants to be consulted on any matter, including being copied on any email I write. If you dont consult her and act within your profession, she feels that you have bypassed. If you escalate the matter to her, she feels upward delegation. This is draining me...how do i handle such,i have sat with her before and explained that close supervision... affects my work yet it hasnt stopped. Help please. more

3

Brenda Nampijja
4h
The CEO is entitled to receiving all correspondences. His/her role doesnt involve mistakes hence their request to have them into all your... communication. If you enjoy your job, be open minded and forego minor requests that drain you. Learn their way of working to simplify the way you operate. more
Lucas Mwago
10h
There is a difference between upward delegating, seeking guidance and informing. Informing is critical in creation of a positive and health work... environment. A CEO must be informed of all communication emanating from the organization. All communication with policy or operational effect must be brought to the attention of the leadership prior to dispatch. This way, the leadership is kept informed and creates room for seiving the message to confirm to company policy and operational philosophy or culture. Delighting upward on the other hand, borders insurbordination. You are literary passing your work to be done by your seniors. This is a direct breach of protocol. It should not be confused with communication and the verification requirement, which is a standard screening procedure. more
2

Helen Konrad

Career development

1d

What would you choose - a more stable salaried job with lower pay or an hourly job with a higher rate? I’m really worried and can’t decide to switch to hourly, even though I really need the money. What if my hours get cut or they stop needing my services?
Please give me some advice. Thank you

prasad r
4h
Which job is more satisfying for you ? follow that job. money can be made through various other ways also. A stable job is needed at first and think... about some online business which can be done at any time online.. more
J M
23h
If employer doesn't need your services your departure is written on the wall. No matter if your salary or hourly. If your hourly in a union... environment termination has a process that is under the guidance of a contract. Ask yourself, do I like working here and why if you do and why not if you don't. This question will answer the how I get paid and how important it is. Best of luck to you. more

Jamie Bowen

Career development

4d

I hired a new team member, he’s about 40. At the interview he seemed polite and easy to talk to, and for the first two weeks he worked well with clients. But lately he’s been getting more and more irritable, and even started snapping at customers. I understand he might be tired from a new job, but I’m not sure, will he settle down soon? Or will it get worse, and should I start looking for someone... who handles people better?
What do you think?

more

3

ChrysalisHR HR
16h
Review your entire recruitment process to ensure your selection is not dependent on only a CV, references and an interview. Assess for motivation,... personality, ability, competencies etc. Secondly, conduct an objective assessment of this employee's performance including behavior. By objective, I mean consider everything and not a simple focus on his recent outbursts. He has proved he could do the job from your own account so something has happened to change that either voluntarily or involuntarily. Do you part and apply policy. I hope you have policies and procedures to guide and ensure your remain objective and compliant. All the best. more
ChrysalisHR HR
16h
Review your entire recruitment process to ensure your selection is not dependent on only a CV, references and an interview. Assess for motivation,... personality, ability, competencies etc. Secondly, conduct an objective assessment of this employee's performance including behavior. By objective, I mean consider everything and not a simple focus on his recent outbursts. He has proved he could do the job from your own account so something has happened to change that either voluntarily or involuntarily. Do you part and apply policy. I hope you have policies and procedures to guide and ensure your remain objective and compliant. All the best. more

Anonymous member

Career development

5d

Please how do you cope with non-chalant staffs as a senior colleague. Staffs that are so complacent when you give them task to do and are always full of excuses but they are good at their skills, i mean they are very good at what they do.

2

idowu vicky
12h
A nonchalant customer isn’t necessarily rude—they’re just indifferent, distracted, or not fully convinced yet. The worst thing you can do is match... their energy or push too hard. The goal is to stay calm, guide the conversation, and gently pull them in. more
Edward Sackey
2d
Remember that these actions will cost you money.

Career development

13h

Meta employees face a tough choice: hustle or hunt

Business Insider tells the global tech, finance, stock market, media, economy, lifestyle, real estate, AI and innovative stories you want to know.

When layoffs are looming, do you grind harder or dust off your résumé? Meta employees are now facing that thorny question after the tech giant said on Thursday it plans to eliminate about 10% of its workforce on May 20, acknowledging that... the announcement "puts everyone in an uneasy state" and leaves them "with nearly a month of ambiguity.

"The long notice period has created a peculiar kind of workplace limbo: Unlike the abrupt cuts that have become common in tech, Meta's warning gives employees time, but not clarity. "It freaks everybody out," former Netflix chief talent officer Patty McCord told Business Insider. Meta employees, including its top performers, likely feel unsettled because layoffs aren't necessarily about individuals' performance. Many are probably thinking to themselves, "this could be me," she said.

Meta said it outlined its layoff plans in an internal memo because the news had leaked. At that point, the company had little choice but to confirm it, said Libby Sartain, a former head of HR at Yahoo and Southwest Airlines.

"As we say here in Texas, the barn door is already open, and the horses are running," she said. When workers fear or anticipate layoffs, they often try to prove their value, yet doing so often doesn't make a difference, said Chikara Kennedy, a former senior HR manager at Meta and the CEO of a coaching and consulting firm.

"People come up with the most arbitrary projects and ideas," said Kennedy, who was impacted by Meta's 2023 layoffs round. Their goal is to "prove their worth because they're really trying to control the uncontrollable.

"That impulse is largely driven by fear, Kennedy said, as workers look for "some level of relief for the anxiety" and end up overextending in an effort to stand out. Yet in Meta's case, the individuals being let go have likely been identified due to the sweeping nature of the cuts, said Laszlo Bock, a former Google head of human resources who now advises startups.

"Working harder in the final weeks won't move the needle," he said. Instead, Bock said employees are often better off using the time to network and line up their next move.

"If you survive the cut, then you lose a few hours," he said. "If you don't, starting outreach before you're impacted gives you a leg up. "Workers shouldn't expect their boss to be much help, Bock said, as managers may also be at risk of getting a pink slip. "Most will be putting on their own oxygen masks before assisting others," he said.

While Meta is likely to be focused on preventing sabotage and retaining top performers during the limbo period, continuing to show up and do the job can still matter, said Ashley Herd, a cohost of the "HR Besties" podcast and a former head of human resources in North America at consulting firm McKinsey. It could help you get recommendations from higher-ups for your next stint.

"Others may notice your effort and advocate for you," said Herd. Disengaging is also a bad idea as it might give the company a reason to add to its layoff roster, said Sartain, the former Yahoo and Southwest Airlines HR exec.

"You for sure will be on the list if that occurs," she said.

Layoffs Tech

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Career development

13h

I landed a job from a hack I found on Reddit

Business Insider tells the global tech, finance, stock market, media, economy, lifestyle, real estate, AI and innovative stories you want to know.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Courtney Clapper, a 32-year-old strategy lead for a major retailer in New York. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I started my job hunt in the fall of 2025, a few months after... graduating with my MBA from Cornell Tech. I was applying for a mix of roles, such as product manager or digital strategist, and I knew the competition would be fierce in this tough job market. From portfolios to video cover letters, I tried all sorts of creative methods to stand out and show off my personality, but they didn't work.

A simple, free AI tool that locates hiring managers' emails landed me multiple interviews -- and a job. My first thought process when entering the job market was to imagine myself as a recruiter, getting slammed with thousands of résumés filled with data and numbers. I figured it would be in my best interest to give them a sense of what makes me stand out: my personality.

So, I recorded myself reading my AI-written cover letters, throwing in a joke or two, and attached the video via a private YouTube link. The video tells the recruiters I can speak and present well, and it gives them a sense of who I am. This approach helped me land an interview at Microsoft. They specifically called out the video, saying it made them feel like they already knew me, which I thought was pretty good feedback.

I still wanted to try several different creative ideas. My portfolio was in the form of a timeline. It included pictures of all professional endeavors I thought could help me land a job, from products I've built and my time at Cornell to pictures of me pitching. My goal was to showcase my skill set and personality while also creating something more visually interesting.

I'd also heard of people getting jobs by putting together a slideshow on how they'd improve the company, so I gave it a shot, and it didn't really get me anywhere. Neither of these strategies was worth the time commitment they required. Referrals also got me nowhere. I have a solid network, and that wasn't making a difference.

Interestingly, I applied for a bunch of roles at Microsoft, and the only one I got an interview for was the one I didn't have a referral for. I was reading comments on Reddit from people complaining about their job-hunting struggles, and I saw a few people saying they found success by reaching out to hiring managers directly.

Some people said they cold-called, which made me think, "Okay, that's a little bit too far," but the emphasis was just to reach out. The idea of emailing them seemed low-risk, so I decided to give it a shot. I started by researching on LinkedIn, trying to guess who the hiring manager or recruiter might be. Sometimes it was listed, but it wasn't the best method.

Then I came across a Reddit comment about Apollo AI, a free tool that can locate hiring manager emails. I found it to be pretty accurate, so I started reaching out with my résumé and cover letter. It was a game changer. My messages showed initiative and, honestly, probably just made things easier for the hiring manager.

I reached out to three people directly and got interviewed for two jobs. I even emailed the CEO of Sweetgreen directly, and he responded by putting me in touch with the hiring manager to schedule an interview. One of my email reachouts turned into my current job, a strategy lead role for a major retailer.

This strategy made things more efficient because I already had a direct line of contact, so it was easy to follow up if there was a delay. I was wondering if anyone might be weirded out about me finding their emails, but no one said anything. They could find it creepy, but they could also find it resourceful. If I were back in the job market, I'd start with the email strategy.

The exercise of thinking through creative approaches like portfolios and video cover letters was fun and got me thinking about how to present my personality most effectively, but ultimately, getting in direct contact was the best way to be competitive. Do you have a story to share about a unique job-finding hack? If so, please reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

Job Market

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Career development

13h

I tried every trick to stand out in my job search. A tip I found on Reddit was the only strategy that got me an offer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Courtney Clapper, a 32-year-old strategy lead for a major retailer in New York. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I started my job hunt in the fall of 2025, a few months after graduating with my MBA from Cornell Tech. I was applying for a mix of roles, such as product manager or digital strategist, and I knew the competition would be... fierce in this tough job market.

From portfolios to video cover letters, I tried all sorts of creative methods to stand out and show off my personality, but they didn't work. A simple, free AI tool that locates hiring managers' emails landed me multiple interviews -- and a job.

My first thought process when entering the job market was to imagine myself as a recruiter, getting slammed with thousands of résumés filled with data and numbers.

I figured it would be in my best interest to give them a sense of what makes me stand out: my personality. So, I recorded myself reading my AI-written cover letters, throwing in a joke or two, and attached the video via a private YouTube link.

The video tells the recruiters I can speak and present well, and it gives them a sense of who I am. This approach helped me land an interview at Microsoft. They specifically called out the video, saying it made them feel like they already knew me, which I thought was pretty good feedback.

I still wanted to try several different creative ideas.

My portfolio was in the form of a timeline. It included pictures of all professional endeavors I thought could help me land a job, from products I've built and my time at Cornell to pictures of me pitching. My goal was to showcase my skill set and personality while also creating something more visually interesting.

I'd also heard of people getting jobs by putting together a slideshow on how they'd improve the company, so I gave it a shot, and it didn't really get me anywhere. Neither of these strategies was worth the time commitment they required.

Referrals also got me nowhere. I have a solid network, and that wasn't making a difference. Interestingly, I applied for a bunch of roles at Microsoft, and the only one I got an interview for was the one I didn't have a referral for.

I was reading comments on Reddit from people complaining about their job-hunting struggles, and I saw a few people saying they found success by reaching out to hiring managers directly.

Some people said they cold-called, which made me think, "Okay, that's a little bit too far," but the emphasis was just to reach out. The idea of emailing them seemed low-risk, so I decided to give it a shot.

I started by researching on LinkedIn, trying to guess who the hiring manager or recruiter might be. Sometimes it was listed, but it wasn't the best method. Then I came across a Reddit comment about Apollo AI, a free tool that can locate hiring manager emails. I found it to be pretty accurate, so I started reaching out with my résumé and cover letter. It was a game changer.

My messages showed initiative and, honestly, probably just made things easier for the hiring manager. I reached out to three people directly and got interviewed for two jobs.

I even emailed the CEO of Sweetgreen directly, and he responded by putting me in touch with the hiring manager to schedule an interview.

One of my email reachouts turned into my current job, a strategy lead role for a major retailer. This strategy made things more efficient because I already had a direct line of contact, so it was easy to follow up if there was a delay.

I was wondering if anyone might be weirded out about me finding their emails, but no one said anything. They could find it creepy, but they could also find it resourceful.

If I were back in the job market, I'd start with the email strategy. The exercise of thinking through creative approaches like portfolios and video cover letters was fun and got me thinking about how to present my personality most effectively, but ultimately, getting in direct contact was the best way to be competitive. more

Katherine Martin

Career development

1h

I started a job at a small logistics company and on my first day I saw I’m the only woman there. The team is all men and it feels a bit strange. Everyone is polite, helpful and friendly. But I still feel nervous. I keep waiting for something bad to happen. Do you think I’m just overthinking or is something wrong with this company?

Career development

17h

Resume Refresh Needed and write a cv based on current role

I'm preparing to apply for new roles in carpentry and construction and want my résumé and CV to read as clearly and persuasively as possible for a mid-level position. The content is already drafted, but it needs a professional polish: tighter wording, flawless grammar, and a smoother overall flow so hiring managers can see my value at a glance. I'd like you to * review every section for... consistency, tone, and impact * reorganize where necessary to emphasise my hands-on experience, project leadership, and safety credentials * rephrase or condense repetitive points and add strong action verbs where they fit * ensure the final files are cleanly formatted and easily tweakable for different job postings (Word) and ready to send (PDF) Both documents should feel modern yet appropriate for the construction trade and pass basic ATS scans without stuffing in keywords. If you see any gaps -- missing metrics, unclear dates -- flag them so I can supply the details. Deliverables 1. Updated résumé (.docx & .pdf) 2. Updated CV (.docx & .pdf) 3. Brief change log highlighting the main edits Once I receive the finished versions, I'll handle any company-specific tweaks myself. more

Career development

18h

They Can't Even Flip Burgers

The Protected Class Finally Meets The Real World

The New York Times tried to write a sympathy piece for the USAID class. It accidentally wrote an indictment. The villain of the story was supposed to be DOGE, the great orange-bad-men-with-spreadsheets monster that came into Washington and started cutting through the federal fat farm. The victims were supposed to be the noble public servants,... contractors, grant managers, NGO executives, and democracy-development professionals who suddenly found themselves outside the taxpayer-funded cocoon. Then the Times gave away the whole game: one former senior vice president at a USAID-funded nonprofit had been making roughly $272,000 a year, and after the gravy train jumped the tracks, she was interviewing for a $19-an-hour job at a spice store.

Normal Americans did not read that and reach for a tissue. They read it and asked the only question that matters: what in God's name were we paying for?

That is what the coastal press still does not understand. A quarter-million-dollar salary means something in the real country. It means working years of double shifts. It means a house is paid off. It means college tuition. It means a small business surviving another year. It means a mechanic, a nurse, a trucker, a cop, a farmer, or a welder would have to grind for years to see what one USAID-world executive was pulling down annually from a system most Americans cannot even see, let alone audit. Then we are supposed to cry because the private economy looked at that résumé and said, "the best we can do is 19 bucks an hour."

No. That is not a human-interest story. That is a flashing red light.

The entire Times frame is backward. DOGE was treated like the marauding villain because it dared to question the sacred bureaucracy. How dare anyone cut government jobs? How dare anyone interrupt the NGO pipeline? How dare anyone ask whether these programs actually work? How dare anyone touch the soft, padded, credentialed ecosystem where public money flows into nonprofit offices, consultant contracts, administrative salaries, stakeholder meetings, and reports about reports. The Times wants Americans to see cruelty. What Americans see is confirmation.

Because if one person in one USAID-funded corner of the NGO complex can make almost $300,000 a year and then struggle to command $19 an hour in the open market, how many more are there? How many vice presidents of capacity-building? How many directors of strategic partnerships? How many senior advisers to initiatives nobody can define? How many people have been living inside the government-funded aquarium, swimming in circles, collecting elite salaries, and calling it service?

That is the real story. DOGE barely got started. It did not gut the federal blob. It nicked it. It scraped a little paint off the hull. It cut some fat, and the permanent class screamed as if the republic itself had been stabbed. But when you pull one thread and a $272,000 NGO salary falls out, the American people are entitled to wonder what the whole sweater looks like.

Washington is full of these hidden economies. They are not always federal employees in the narrow sense. Many sit one layer out, then two layers out, then three layers out: nonprofits, contractors, subcontractors, pass-through organizations, technical-assistance providers, fiscal sponsors, foundations, and professional managerial shops that exist because government money exists. They are close enough to the state to live off it, but far enough away to make accountability foggy. When the money is flowing, they are experts. When the money stops, they are victims.

Meanwhile, the country is drowning in debt. Americans are being told that every basic function of life must cost more. Groceries cost more. Insurance costs more. Housing costs more. Cars cost more. Interest costs more. The national debt is screaming toward $40 trillion, and the same people who lecture the public about sacrifice want tears for the executive class of the foreign-aid machine. What planet are these people living on?

The real economy is not gentle. It has never been gentle to the people who pay for Washington's fantasies. During COVID-19, when the political class shut the world down over a cough and wiped out livelihoods by decree, where were the grand New York Times sob stories for the men in the energy industry who lost their jobs overnight? Where was the national mourning for the welders, roughnecks, truckers, pipeline workers, and small-town families watching an entire way of life get strangled by people working safely from laptops? Those men were told to adapt, retrain, take the hit, and stop complaining. Meanwhile, Sheryl Cowan, the Times' new heroine of bureaucratic martyrdom, was likely still pulling down her elite NGO salary from the comfort of her house. But when the protected class loses access to the taxpayer pipeline, suddenly every lost desk job is a national emergency.

That double standard is the rot. The people who build, fix, deliver, protect, farm, wire, weld, drive, clean, cook, and carry this country are expected to survive reality. The bureaucratic class expects reality to be subsidized.

The Times accidentally showed the country the difference between price and value. The government price was nearly $300,000. The market value, at least in this case, looked a lot closer to $19 an hour -- a quarter-million-dollar gap. That gap is the hidden tax on every American family. That gap is the premium we pay so a credentialed class can lecture us about how terrible our own country is and why we need to send billions of dollars to fund queer theatre in Nepal.

Competence matters. Results matter. Value matters. If someone is truly worth that kind of money, the private sector takes notice. If the only place that salary exists is inside a government-funded grant universe, then the salary was obviously not measuring competence. It was really measuring proximity. Proximity to federal money. Proximity to the right institutions. Proximity to the right vocabulary. Proximity to the people who've spent decades turning public spending into private comfort.

So yes, the cuts were justified. More scrutiny is needed. Every agency, grant pipeline, NGO pass-through, and contractor ecosystem should be examined with the cold patience of an auditor and the suspicion of a taxpayer who has been lied to for too long. The question should be simple: what did America receive for the money? Not what was promised in some glossy annual report. What was delivered?

The country cannot afford a ruling-administrative class that collapses the moment the subsidy disappears. Americans are tired of funding people who look down on them, lecture them, and then demand pity when their artificial economy gets clipped. We are tens of trillions of dollars in debt. The party is over. The fake prestige economy is dead.

The Times wanted us to mourn the fired USAID class.

Instead, it reminded us why they needed to be fired.

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Career development

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The Duolingo Taxi Test Could Being Rude To The Driver Cost You Your Dream Job?

The idea behind the recruitment approach is that if someone is rude to a taxi driver, they might be rude at work - especially to those who are junior to them. In the Duolingo case, the candidate ticked lots of boxes for the role. But when the company heard how they treated the driver, the candidate wasn't offered the job.

This resonates with research that found that people will work hard to make... a good impression in a job interview and that these efforts can mask what they are genuinely like.

After all, most people can avoid being rude in a one-off, high-stakes situation. But being friendly at all times can probably only be achieved by those who are genuinely warm people. By assessing people when they are not aware they are being monitored, Duolingo hoped to filter out the truly friendly from those who work hard to fake it.

Duolingo is not the first company to come up with the idea of looking at candidates' behaviour outside the interview room. Companies look at prospective employees' social media for exactly the same reason. People might reveal more of their true selves on social media when they don't know they are being watched by potential employers.

Read more: Putting your CV together? Complete honesty might not be the best policy

But from the candidate's perspective, there are several issues with Duolingo's taxi driver test. First, it may not be ethical to use behaviour to make a hiring decision that is outside of the candidate's consent.

Second, it is unclear what a taxi driver is evaluating when they judge a passenger's behaviour. Maybe someone is nervous about the interview or is stressed because getting to the interview on time on top of their other responsibilities made them rush. Under these circumstances, candidates might seem less friendly than they otherwise would be.

Other candidates might prefer to quietly review their interview notes instead of chatting with the driver. Again, this does not signal a rude person - maybe just an introverted one.Fake only goes so far

But still, are behaviour tests like these a good idea in principle for a hiring manager?

Research suggests that Duolingo might be going overboard in its efforts to detect those who are faking being friendly to make a good impression. Although people have been shown to use a variety of strategies to impress in job interviews and beyond (flattery or "humblebragging", for example), my research has found that many of these tactics are not particularly effective.

This is because people can generally see through insincere efforts to make a good impression. For example, people often forget that in job interviews, discussing their hard work will make them relatable and increase their job prospects. This is because people like to discuss their talents and achievements to make themselves seem competent, but they forget that success usually comes from hard work as well. Discussing it actually makes their success stories seem more sincere and relatable.

And the same is true for thanking others and asking the interviewer questions. If a candidate mainly brags about themselves and treats the conversation as a one-way street, no taxi driver test is needed to identify them as a poor candidate.

People are generally not savvy self-presenters who can fake a good impression consistently. A regular job interview with an experienced hiring manager who can ask about the skills they would bring to the organisation should be enough to identify those who just fake being friendly.

As clever as the taxi driver test sounds, a coffee and a chat with the candidate can probably reveal more crucial information to make sure the right person is hired. more

Ronan Lenoble

Career development

3d

Can you give me some advice? My boss comes to me many times a day and keeps asking if I’ll finish my tasks on time. I always say yes as I’ve never missed a deadline. But his questions distract me and make me stressed.
I tried telling him he doesn’t need to check on me so much, but it didn’t help. How can I politely ask him to stop?

Bartholomew Heyns
1d
So if I may ask what the problem 🤔 actually so tht I can help u
Ravi Choudhry
1d
Whenever he comes, you just have to ask him questions about the other work and work data or anything, so he is busy doing such things
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