A few years ago, knowing how to code could get you three offers on the spot. Today, you’re lucky if you get three callbacks. In this video, I break down what’s actually happening in the tech job market using real data (not just doom headlines): layoffs are real (320,000+ in the last 18 months), but tech hiring is still up about 8% year-over-year—especially in AI, data infrastructure, and cloud. Two things can be true at the same time: the market is tougher than ever, and tech is still growing—just in different places. I also explain the real reason companies are cutting headcount, and it’s not “AI is taking your job.” During COVID, companies overhired based on overly optimistic forecasts, and now the world normalized while payroll stayed. On top of that, AI is expensive to run at scale—those inference costs add up fast—so budgets that used to pay for people are getting drained by the AI race. Then I share a sobering candidate case study (a Microsoft engineer with 3+ years of experience applied to 25 jobs and got 2 callbacks). Finally, I give you the three strategies that actually move the needle right now: specialize and show proof, become AI-productive (not necessarily an AI engineer), and network because cold applications are basically dead. Your network gets you the interview, and your skills get you the offer.