The article highlights a worrying trend of widespread layoffs and corporate restructuring, exemplified by Starbucks' plan to lay off 900 North American workers and close hundreds of stores as part of a $1 billion restructuring plan.
This is not an isolated incident. The article notes recent layoffs at multiple major companies:
xAI (Elon Musk’s AI company): 500 workers
3 Microsoft: 42 jobs
4 Rivian (EV startup): 200 workers
Salesforce: 385 workers
Oracle: 355 workers (in San Francisco and Seattle)
A recent survey by Resume.org reinforces this trend, finding:
4 in 10 companies have laid off employees in 2025.
1 in 3 companies will lay off workers before the end of the year.
6 in 10 companies will likely lay off employees in 2026.
5 4 in 10 companies plan to replace workers with AI by 2026.
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3 Moves to Future-Proof Your Career
Given the uncertainty, the article suggests three paramount strategies for employees to transition from anxiety to opportunity and secure their jobs:
Move 1: Leverage AI To Stay Ahead In Business
Mastering technological skills, especially AI and big data, is becoming essential. The World Economic Forum projects these to be the most critical skills over the next five years. Employees who have been hesitant to learn AI should prioritize it, as it is rapidly becoming a necessary tool in the modern economy.
Move 2: Speak The Language Of Numbers
To prove your value, you must quantify your past successes. When communicating with managers, don't just describe your involvement in a project; use specific, quantitative terms to show how you directly contributed to the company's bottom line. Examples include "increased lead generation by 20%" or "made 35% more sales." Speaking in numbers helps leadership clearly understand your value in relation to business goals.
Move 3: Expand Your Skillset To Thrive
Diversify your skills so you can benefit more than one area of the company, which increases your overall value. This is not about taking on more work without equal pay, but about showcasing your versatility during potential layoffs. For example, a project development employee with strong salesmanship should offer to assist the sales team. Versatility proves your worth and can also showcase an ability to lead and oversee various departments.