Howdy contrarians,

2025 and especially October has been a blood bath due to layoffs. If you’ve scrolled LinkedIn lately and thought, what in gold onions is going on?—you’re not imagining it. Layoffs are everywhere. Smart, talented people are getting pink slips like it’s trendy.

Here's what's actually going on incase you’ve missed it:

Amazon just cut around 14,000 jobs. They're calling it "restructuring," but let's be honest — AI's cheaper than people.

Microsoft dropped about 6,000 this year. Even LinkedIn itself and Xbox got hit.

Intel slashed over 25,000 jobs. That's like a fifth of their entire company. Now that’s wild.

Meta let go of another 3,600 people.

Chevron's trimming 8,000, mostly fallout from the Hess merger. Everyone saw that coming.

Paramount and Skydance cut 2,000 right after merging. Again that was expected.

Dentsu, one of the biggest ad agencies out there, is dropping 3,400 people.

And Tata Consultancy is laying off about 12,000 because automation's doing what people used to do.

When you look closely like I have, you will see that this is not about cuts anymore. It's about how work itself is changing. Companies aren't just "reducing headcount" — they're rethinking what a job even means. Hhmm!

A.I is taking over anything repetitive. Efficiency is killing tradition. The jobs that used to feel bulletproof? They're not. And the ones built on creativity, adaptability, and actually driving results? Those are the new safe bet.

One might ask if there’s a silver lining in this gloom and doom. Like what do you do when the ground keeps shifting under you?

Learn to make things happen, not just do things. If someone can write your job down in a checklist, it can be automated. The people who survive are the ones who create, connect dots, or drive real outcomes. This point is extremely important to understand. If you create; if you’re a producer; you’re good.

Stack your skills. Here is what I mean. You do marketing? Add some data analytics. In finance? Learn automation tools. Sales? Get better at storytelling. Every new skill makes you harder to replace and easier to pay well. Mind you this is a short term solution and not a long term strategy.

Don't rely on one paycheck. This is crucial and if you know me by now, you know how loud I get with this one. The most secure people I know have two or three small income streams going. Side business, consulting gig, rental property — doesn't matter. It's not about getting rich, though that might happen along the way. It's about not being stuck. Try not to get stuck.

Keep learning, even when you don't feel like it. It saddens me that some people stopped learning when they left high-school or university. Knowledge is power but only when you use it. Look the world doesn't pause because you're tired. You don't need to be brilliant — just curious and consistent. An hour a week learning something that makes you uncomfortable goes a long way. Don’t worry your favorite T.V won’t go anywhere. Invest in yourself. You are worth it.

Build actual relationships, not just a contact list. Most people don't find their next job through applications. That is kinda sorta old news. Their network finds it for them. Stay in touch. Help people when you can. They remember.

Have a cushion. If you lost your job tomorrow, could you survive six months? If not, start there. Having options changes everything.

Here's the thing: layoffs aren't personal. They're spreadsheet math and for CEOs the math must math. But what you do after? That's all you.

Look don’t try and buy an umbrella when it is raining. It’s too late, you’re already wet. Right now, while you have a job, invest in yourself. Bet on yourself. You are worth the investment. I guarantee it.

The people who come out ahead aren't the ones freaking out. They're the ones who use the moment to shift — learn something new, start something small, build something they actually own.

Because when everything gets shaky, owning something of your own is the only real stability there is. And in life guess who gets crushed, the consumer. Guess he comes out on top? The producer. So produce. Create value. Tap into your interests and your gifts and talents to create something. The world needs it.

Take care of yourself. And if you're tired of someone else deciding whether you get paid next month, maybe it's time to start building something that's yours. Even if it starts small. At least it's yours.

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