The Boom-Bust Tech Cycle is Back—And This Time, It’s AI’s World
The Boom-Bust Tech Cycle is Back—And This Time, It’s AI’s World
Think your tech skills are future-proof? If they don’t involve AI, they might be past their expiration date.
The tech job market has shifted dramatically, leaving many highly skilled workers scrambling for roles in an industry that once couldn’t hire fast enough. Since 2020, job postings for software development have dropped over 30%, with tech companies prioritizing revenue-generating AI projects over previous moonshots like virtual reality.
Layoffs continue, affecting even experienced workers who once relied on their networks. AI specialists remain in high demand, often commanding two to four times the salary of a regular engineer, while traditional tech roles stagnate or vanish.
Internships and entry-level positions have dried up, making it harder for newcomers to break in. As companies invest heavily in AI, the question remains: Will your skills adapt, or will someone who mastered AI take your spot?
Read the full article on Wall Street Journal.
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Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.
He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.
