Amid rising unemployment among young tech professionals, industry leaders are divided over the role of AI in entry-level hiring. AWS CEO Matt Garman criticized replacing junior staff with AI, calling it shortsighted and warning about future talent gaps. Contrarily, OpenAI and Google leaders foresee AI soon replicating junior roles. Reports show new graduate hiring in tech has dropped sharply, with recent grads now a small fraction of new hires. Garman urges students to build adaptable, creative skills, while Amazon signals more workforce cuts, fueling the debate over AI’s place in the workforce.
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn clarified the company’s “AI-first” approach after criticism, stressing that artificial intelligence is being used to strengthen, not substitute, human effort. He reiterated that no full-time employees have ever been laid off and none will be, though contractor levels have shifted with business demands. Von Ahn admitted he was surprised by the intensity of public concern but emphasized AI as a tool to boost efficiency and innovation. The strategy has already accelerated progress, enabling Duolingo to introduce nearly double the number of language courses within a year, demonstrating AI’s role in scaling operations responsibly.
TurboHire, an India-based recruitment automation platform, has secured $6million in Series A funding led by IvyCap Ventures. With its AI-powered solutions for large enterprises, TurboHire aims to streamline hiring processes and make talent discovery more efficient. The fresh capital will fuel product development and market expansion, responding to accelerated demand for digital hiring in South Asia and beyond.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the biggest name in Indian IT, is letting go of around 12,000 employees in the coming year. That’s a serious move. And while it’s being described as part of a tech transition, it also shows how much the industry is changing beneath the surface.
TCS is trying to reinvent itself by investing more in AI, automation, and newer work models. But it seems not every role fits into that picture anymore. Especially for those in middle and senior positions, the message is clear—the company is shifting gears, and not everyone will be on that ride.
They’ve also introduced new rules for employees who are between projects. Now, you need to be actively billed for most of the year. If you’re not contributing to a live project within a short time, your future at the company could be uncertain. That’s a big cultural shift from the way IT firms used to function.
What’s also interesting is that some insiders say the exit process is not as smooth as it sounds. While severance packages and benefits are being offered, there are reports of quiet pressure being put on employees to resign instead of waiting for a formal termination.
This isn’t just a TCS story. It reflects what’s happening across the tech space. Skills are evolving fast, and companies want talent that can keep up with that pace. If anything, this move is a reminder that staying relevant is now more important than ever.
Intel just confirmed it’ll trim its workforce down to 75,000 by end of 2025—a steep drop from nearly 109,000 last year. As part of its restructuring to cut costs, the chip giant is also cancelling big construction plans in Germany and Poland, while slowing expansion in the U.S. and shifting focus to existing sites in Vietnam and Malaysia. New CEO Lip-Bu Tan seems serious about rebooting Intel’s finances, even if it means tough choices. After years of sliding performance, this aggressive downsizing may be painful—but it might be the reset Intel needs.
