You’ll lose your job in 2027. - by Elena Verna
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You’ll lose your job in 2027.<br>Assume that your current role is close to its expiration date.
Elena Verna<br>May 21, 2026
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For anyone working in tech, I’m sorry to say this, but there’s a real chance you will not have the same job by the end of 2027.<br>Some of that will be because of layoffs. Intuit and Meta just announced cuts, and I don’t think anyone seriously believes we’re done seeing more.<br>But even if you keep your seat, your actual job is going to change. A lot. The responsibilities, expectations, tools, scope of what you’re capable of accomplishing, bar for what ‘good’ looks like, and number of people needed to do the work are all being rewritten every day.<br>Even if you don’t lose your job, it’s safest to assume that your current role is nearing its shelf life.<br>It’s already happening to me. I know it will affect you too. In some cases, I fired myself out of parts of my own role. In other cases, I got fired out of responsibilities by the pace of the company, the shape of the org, and the reality of AI. Things I used to own either became less relevant, moved to someone else, got automated, or needed a totally different operating model.<br>So yes, I technically stayed at the same company. But I do not have the same job. And more likely than not, neither will you.<br>Change is coming. Which is great news.
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Wait, great news?? Yes. Because right now, it’s not too late. You can start rebuilding yourself before someone else decides what version of your job survives. Imagine yourself like Scrooge waking up on Christmas morning, with a new lease on life.
You still have your job! You still have time to make changes! But… it is time to start preparing for those changes.<br>You get to decide what to do about it.
The first step is to be honest with yourself about this reality. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, it’s scary. But the only thing worse is pretending that it’s not happening. (see: Get your head out of the sand.)<br>But you better not stop there. Here’s what I would put on my ‘Prepare for a Job Change in 2027’ action list:<br>Step 1: Ask yourself: do you actually like your job?
This is uncomfortable, especially if you’ve been in it for a while. But as things keep changing, the competition is going to get more intense. You’re not going to win out in the same role over someone who loves what they do.<br>And if there are going to be dramatic changes in your role, maybe this is a chance to finally pivot into something you do get excited about. Maybe that’s a more niche speciality. Maybe it’s switching industries. Maybe that’s going back to IC work (see: IC work is the new career flex - which is what I did).<br>Step 2: Start exploring career optionality.
I’ve been beating this drum for years. If you’re ever going to do it… now is an ideal time to get started.<br>If you’ve been telling yourself, ‘I’m too risk averse to go out on my own. I need the stability of a full-time gig.’ Well, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.
Your current path is no longer a safe, stable option.<br>Even before all of this rapid AI transformation, the stability of full-time work has been pretty sus: If you’re junior, you’re the closest to being replaced. If you’re senior, you’re an expensive line item.<br>Think of all your friends and colleagues who have lost their jobs despite being awesome at what they do, and you have to acknowledge that expecting your career to last indefinitely is just staying on the Titanic while the lifeboats float away.
So get started right now. Like, today. Because the good and bad news is… solopreneurship doesn’t happen overnight. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone should leave their job with no momentum or progress. It usually takes a while to figure out what you want to do and what the market will pay for, so start that process right now.<br>Then, by the time you’re ready for a change - whether that’s because your job changes or you’ve got enough progress that you’re ready to go all-in - you’ll have the foundation in place.<br>And guess what, you’ve already got a great headstart. Just think of your career options as a product you are working on…<br>Optionality 1: Your skill IS the product.
I went down this road, and I’ve seen many other people go this way too. This path usually leads to a services business: consulting, advising, freelancing, or some other version of trading your time for money outside a full-time employment model.<br>I started...