Washington — The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two people and one entity based in the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of being involved in a network that launders millions of dollars generated by IT workers and cybercrimes to support the North Korean government. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that…
What’s New #VoteNo is trending on social media as a group of Democratic leaders are pushing to abolish the Electoral College. Why It Matters Democratic Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Peter Welch of Vermont introduced an amendment to abolish the Electoral College system on Monday. The bill would allow U.S.…
NEW YORK — An Alabama woman is recovering well after a pig kidney transplant last month that freed her from eight years of dialysis, the latest effort to save human lives with animal organs. Towana Looney is the fifth American given a gene-edited pig organ — and notably, she isn’t as sick as prior recipients…
Recently, some readers wondered if I developed a “MAGA mindset” following the Nov. 5 election of Donald Trump to a second non-consecutive term for president. Writers privately and publicly expressed shock and disappointment about columns I wrote criticizing President Joe Biden for calling Trump supporters “garbage” and for granting an all-encompassing pardon to his son…
The United States tech job market is poised for a rebound in 2025, following a period of turbulence marked by mass layoffs and strategic shifts in response to artificial intelligence advancements. According to Karat and Harris Poll’s latest Tech Hiring Trends report, the industry is emerging from a multi-year downturn characterized by a transition from high-volume hiring to a more focused approach on quality recruitment.
The tech sector’s recent journey has been tumultuous, beginning with a natural correction to the rapid post-pandemic hiring surge, which then evolved into widespread job cuts. The landscape was further disrupted two years ago by the introduction of ChatGPT, prompting business leaders to recalibrate their hiring strategies and redirect investments toward AI initiatives. This resulted in a prolonged cooling labor market, with companies prioritizing the quality of each new hire over quantity.
As we approach 2025, the initial wave of generative AI progress appears to be stabilizing, and hiring targets are showing signs of improvement compared to previous years. The tech job market is adapting to the new AI-driven landscape and preparing for renewed growth, albeit with a more strategic and quality-focused approach to talent acquisition.
Tech Companies Are Optimistic About Hiring
Despite a five-year low in software engineer job postings, the U.S. tech industry remains optimistic about hiring, with companies targeting an average of nearly 300 open software engineer roles, representing a 12% year-over-year increase, the report found.
The hiring landscape extends beyond domestic borders, with 81% of U.S. engineering leaders planning to hire abroad. While this shift toward global talent acquisition reflects the industry’s adaptability and recognition of the diverse skill sets available internationally, the globalization and offshoring of U.S. jobs will further intensify competition for available positions.
Additionally, in response to reduced headcounts from the previous year, there has been a notable uptick in contractor hiring. Twenty-eight percent of U.S. leaders now prioritize outsourcing via contractors. This cost-saving incentive may lead businesses to prioritize contractor hiring over full-time positions, which could reduce the number of full-time job openings in 2025.
Valuing Quality Hires
The tech industry is shifting from volume hiring to quality hiring, as companies prioritize the impact of each new employee in a softening labor market. This is evidenced by Karat’s talent benchmarks, which reveal a 12% increase in the average technical interview score required for job offers at major tech companies over the past year.
Moreover, in this employer’s job market, organizations have the luxury of being more selective in their hiring decisions. Companies are capitalizing on this opportunity by bringing in more qualified candidates at each stage of the hiring process. As a result, engineering leaders are reporting higher average numbers of candidates progressing through different interview stages, allowing them to make more informed decisions and ultimately improve the quality of their hires.
Prioritizing AI Skills
As the tech sector gears up for 2025, AI engineering roles are emerging as the top hiring priority, with a dramatic increase in demand compared to previous years. According to the report, 60% of U.S. tech managers are hiring for AI engineer positions, a significant jump from 35% last year. This surge in AI-focused recruitment is complemented by a growing need for full-stack engineers, who play a crucial role in building AI systems, marking the second-largest increase in hiring priorities.
The emphasis on AI extends beyond specialized roles and will impact the skill sets sought after in software engineers across the board. Managers will prioritize AI-related competencies, including AI engineering skills, the ability to integrate AI functionality into products via APIs and data science capabilities.
Furthermore, the AI skills in demand are not limited to core development areas. Many tech employers are also prioritizing candidates with expertise in leveraging AI tools during coding processes, training new AI models, machine learning, interpreting or analyzing AI outputs and prompt engineering.
Financial Services Bolstering Engineering Teams
The rapid integration of AI across various industries is reshaping the job market for technology professionals, opening up new opportunities beyond traditional tech companies. This shift is particularly evident in the financial services sector, which is increasingly attracting tech talent as it embraces AI-driven innovations and digital transformation.
Recent data from top universities illustrates this trend. At Cornell University, the proportion of computer science graduates entering the financial services industry jumped from 16% in 2022 to 22% in 2023. Similarly, Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College reported a rise in the percentage of master of information systems management graduates opting for careers in financial services, from 16% between 2018 and 2021 to 19% between 2020 and 2023.
As banks and fintech companies continue to integrate advanced technologies into their operations, they are competing more aggressively for top tech talent, offering exciting opportunities for professionals to apply their skills in developing cutting-edge financial products and services.
“The past few years have been a unique opportunity for enterprises to bolster our internal engineering teams with the pause in big tech hiring, and we’ve really used that time to elevate the quality of our software organizations,” Michael Ruttledge, chief information officer at Citizens Financial Group, stated in the report.
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The 8 worst technology failures of 2024 They say you learn more from failure than success. If so, this is the story for you: MIT Technology Review’s annual roll call of the biggest flops, flimflams, and fiascos in all domains of technology. Some of the foul-ups were funny, like the “woke” AI which got Google in trouble after it drew Black Nazis. Some caused lawsuits, like a computer error by CrowdStrike that left thousands of Delta passengers stranded. And we also reaped failures among startups that raced to expand from 2020 to 2022, a period of ultra-low interest rates. Check out what made our list of this year’s biggest technology failures.
—Antonio Regalado Antonio will be discussing this year’s worst failures with our executive editor Niall Firth in a subscriber-exclusive online Roundtable event today at 12.00 ET. Register here to make sure you don’t miss outf you haven’t already, subscribe!
AI’s search for more energy is growing more urgent If you drove by one of the 2,990 data centers in the United States, you’d probably think little more than “Huh, that’s a boring-looking building.” You might not even notice it at all. However, these facilities underpin our entire digital world, and they are responsible for tons of greenhouse-gas emissions. New research shows just how much those emissions have skyrocketed during the AI boom.That leaves a big problem for the world’s leading AI companies, which are caught between pressure to meet their own sustainability goals and the relentless competition in AI that’s leading them to build bigger models requiring tons of energy. And the trend toward ever more energy-intensive new AI models will only send those numbers higher. Read the full story. —James O’Donnell This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 TikTok has asked the US Supreme Court for a lifeline It’s asked lawmakers to intervene before the proposed ban kicks in on January 19. (WP $)+ TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reportedly met with Donald Trump yesterday. (NBC News)+ Trump will take office the following day, on January 20. (WSJ $)+ Meanwhile, the EU is investigating TikTok’s role in Romania’s election. (Politico) 2 Waymo’s autonomous cars are heading to TokyoIn the first overseas venture for the firm’s vehicles. (The Verge)+ The cars will require human safety drivers initially. (CNBC)+ What’s next for robotaxis in 2024. (MIT Technology Review) 3 China’s tech workers are still keen to work in the USBut securing the right to work there is much tougher than it used to be. (Rest of World) 4 Digital license plates are vulnerable to hackingAnd they’re already legal to buy in multiple US states. (Wired $) 5 We’re all slaves to the algorithmsFrom the mundane (Spotify) to the essential (housing applications.) (The Atlantic $)+ How a group of tenants took on screening systems—and won. (The Guardian)+ The coming war on the hidden algorithms that trap people in poverty. (MIT Technology Review) 6 How to build an undetectable submarineThe race is on to stay hidden from the competition. (IEEE Spectrum)+ How underwater drones could shape a potential Taiwan-China conflict. (MIT Technology Review) 7 How Empower became a viable rival to UberIts refusal to cooperate with authorities is straight out of Uber’s early playbook. (NYT $) 8 Even airlines are using AirTags to find lost luggage 🧳Which begs the question: how were they looking for missing bags before?(Bloomberg $)+ Here’s how to keep tabs on your suitcase as you travel. (Forbes $)
9 You’re reading your blood pressure all wrongKeep your feet flat on the floor and ditch your phone, for a start. (WSJ $) 10 The rise and rise of the group chat Expressing yourself publicly on social media is so last year. (Insider $)+ How to fix the internet. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day “Where are the adults in the room?” —Francesca Marano, a long-time contributor to WordPress, lambasts the platform’s decision to require users to check a box reading “Pineapple is delicious on pizza” to log in, 404 Media reports. The big story
Responsible AI has a burnout problem October 2022 Margaret Mitchell had been working at Google for two years before she realized she needed a break. Only after she spoke with a therapist did she understand the problem: she was burnt out. Mitchell, who now works as chief ethics scientist at the AI startup Hugging Face, is far from alone in her experience. Burnout is becoming increasingly common in responsible AI teams.
All the practitioners MIT Technology Review interviewed spoke enthusiastically about their work: it is fueled by passion, a sense of urgency, and the satisfaction of building solutions for real problems. But that sense of mission can be overwhelming without the right support. Read the full story. —Melissa Heikkilä We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.) + This timelapse of a pine tree growing from a tiny pinecone is pretty special 🎄+ Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy) is one of 2024’s biggest hits. But why has it struck such a chord?+ All hail London’s campest Christmas tree!+ Stay vigilant, Oregon’s googly eye bandit has struck again 👀
Even before the presidential election, many members of the press began caving to the possibility of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.The owners of major newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, decided not to endorse a candidate in the race, prompting some opinion staffers to resign.In the weeks since Trump’s narrow victory, media companies and other influential leaders — including powerful chief executives, federal law enforcement officials, and moderate Republican lawmakers — appear to be falling in line.The widespread capitulation before Trump even takes office is a worrisome omen for the media and the American system of government built on checks and balances.Yale historian Timothy Snyder said the first rule to combat tyranny is: Do not obey in advance.Yet, many are doing just that.» READ MORE:
D onald Trump’s big victory and horrific agenda — for military-led mass deportation, accelerating climate change, rolling back reproductive rights, and pursuing dictatorial powers — sent Democratic governors leaping to the barricades. Or, at least, the microphones. In the days following the 2024 election, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared he’d invoke a special session of…
OPIC Technologies, Inc.: Using 3D Livestreaming to Combat the Loneliness Epidemic – Technology Today – EIN Presswire
President Joe Biden speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2024, as he heads to South Bend, Indiana. Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images In the fall of 2023, the progressive polling outfit Data For Progress presented data to the White…