Why is no one talking about the job thing...?

Err, can we talk about the job thing? Y’know, the thing no one’s talking about? Brushing under the carpet? That thing?

You know the thing. The work thing. The wtf-existential-holy-mackerel-could-this-be-it thing.

Yeah. It’s a thing.

I’m hearing stories everywhere. Laid-off smart people out of work for a year, can’t get a first interview. 500, 800, 1000 applicants for a vacancy. Got a first interview? Cool. guess what? It’s with an AI. Break a leg!

Meanwhile, freelancers watching clients dwindle from five to three to one to two… to one. People hoarding social capital like it’s the last days of Rome. Intros drying up. Biz dev getting brutal. More ghosts than a dating app.

Credit cards covering rent while people make nervous pivots, stick or twist decisions.

These gigs, the ones that went to dust? They’re unlikely to come back in a big way. Maybe not in a small way.

It might be the canary in the coal mine. The first sign of rigor mortis.

Sure, some people are killing it. The power law in action. Big tech, VCs, the 0.1%, the hustlers - they all want to tell you how great it’s going to be, but what I’ve seen of their reasoning behind this is… unclear.

I’m dubious if many of them really believe what they’re saying. Or perhaps even care.

What's the solution when you're out of cash with no prospects?

What's the solution when there aren't as many people left to buy stuff?

I don’t want to be a doomonger, but no one’s talking about the work thing. I don’t see supply and demand lining up, and there’s no real plan for what’s next.

It doesn’t feel real because it’s slow, gradual. We don’t see it happening. We don’t make plans because it’s not an immediate shock like a natural disaster or pandemic.

So what to do?

From what I can tell, the people who’ll come through aren’t just the ones with the right skills - they’re the ones who can step into different identities depending on what the moment requires.

Who can build trust quickly.

Who can read situations and adapt mid-conversation.

Who can find the space to practice - and shapeshift.

Adaptability is the new IQ.

If you aren’t seriously thinking about this, please do.

I could be wrong. If you think I am, please show me how. Seriously. I want to be wrong. Cos, believe it or not, I’m an optimist. If I’m wrong, it’s wonderful news.

But if I'm not... well, the time to start thinking about it is now.