Hi Reader,

I go through bouts of hyperfixation.

Usually it's work puzzles.
A new business idea with a tight timeline that needs to get traction.

Lately, it's been the job market.
I can't be the only one thinking about the state of the world, or stressed about what's actually happening out there.
The headlines. The vibes. The doom loop.

I got tired of living with the blanket negative sentiment.
If there are answers to find—I want to hunt them down.

So I started scanning open roles across five legacy tech companies: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Salesforce.
I dug into their job boards, trying to spot the signal inside all the noise.

I'm still compiling data.
This is a narrow slice—five companies, one moment in time.
Not a comprehensive study. But even in this limited view, some patterns caught my attention.

Apple has nearly 3,700 openings. Over three-quarters are in engineering.
Microsoft and Meta are similar—jobs skew heavily toward infrastructure, data, and engineering work.

Amazon is hiring like crazy. Over 9,000 open roles, but they're mostly in operations and logistics.

That might sound mundane, but I think that's the point.

These companies are doubling down on building infrastructure (the rails) and delivery (the trains).
For now, it's not just about invention. It's about execution.

Here's what I'm seeing: The headlines say AI is replacing jobs. But this hiring snapshot suggests something different.
Maybe AI is amplifying people, not replacing them. At least at these companies, in this moment.

Salesforce is the outlier.
Yes, they're hiring engineers and building AI tools. But nearly 1 in 5 of their open roles is in sales.
They're going on offense.

This early glimpse suggests we might be getting back to fundamentals:
​Build it. Sell it. Ship it.

So what do we do with this?
Obviously, five companies don't represent the whole market. But if this pattern holds broader:

If you're hiring—get honest. Do you actually need a visionary, or do you need someone who can execute with precision? Or third option: do you need a scrappy generalist who can do a lot with little until the revenue falls from the sky?

If you're job hunting—don't just chase the trend. Chase where the real work is happening. AI might dominate the press cycle, but companies are still betting on engineers, operators, and doers.

If you're leading a team—think about posture. Is your org shaped for defense or offense? And do your hires reflect that?

This is just the beginning. I'll be digging into AI-native companies and product-led startups next.

But here's what I keep coming back to: While everyone's debating what AI will replace, these companies are quietly betting on what it will amplify.
And right now, that seems to be the people who can build, sell, and ship.

More soon.

Warmly,
Justin

P.S. What are you seeing in your corner of the market? Hit reply and tell me—I'm collecting stories from the ground level.