AI, layoffs, and culture shifts: how to stay indispensable in tech
In a rapidly changing tech landscape, only those who understand business impact, embrace automation, and align with company culture will thrive
Introduction
Imagine two engineers. Both are technically excellent, but one consistently gets promoted while the other stagnates. Why? Because performance isn’t just about coding—it’s about demonstrating value, fitting company culture, and working smarter with automation. Master these three areas, and you’ll position yourself ahead of the curve.
In early 2025, many companies laid off thousands of employees amid sweeping cultural changes across the tech industry. These changes included the elimination or rebranding of diversity and inclusion programs, alongside mass layoffs justified as making companies "leaner" and "more prepared for the future." Adding fuel to the fire, prominent tech leaders have made numerous statements predicting that AI solutions will automate away mid-level software engineering roles. Make no mistake - the technological landscape is rapidly changing, fostering new workplace cultures that are replacing the status quo. This situation has led to heightened anxiety and stress. As people witness both the potential and risks of AI automation, many are questioning which career paths remain viable for their future.
Demonstrating the right performance in today’s uncertain world will greatly increase our chances of having a meaningful, fulfilling career. In this article, based on my insider perspective I’ll give you a practical guide to ensure you don’t just survive but thrive.
Create value beyond technology
Why this matters: senior leaders prioritize profitability, efficiency, and strategic impact. Being "technically great" is not enough. Creating business value will become increasingly vital for talent retention during performance reviews.
Taking action: strengthen your outcome-based approach by asking yourself these weekly questions:
What metric does my work influence?
How will my work create value for those around me?
Can I explain my impact in a way leadership cares about?
Based on my experience attending performance review meetings with organizational leaders, I've noticed a growing emphasis on evaluating tangible work outcomes. Employees who receive higher scores consistently show deep awareness of the business metrics they influence. More notably, there's diminishing tolerance for keeping staff who cannot demonstrate clear evidence of their productivity and output. By taking outcomes and desired outcomes of our work into consideration we strengthen the results as part of our performance equation.
When working on system performance improvements, be specific about quantifying the impact. Rather than saying "we reduced query latency," which is vague, it's more compelling to say "we improved checkout conversion by 5%." In this case, the reduced query latency directly improves the conversion rate at the final stage of the sales funnel, ultimately increasing company revenue. Also, it clearly shows thinking past the underlying technology and underlines the awareness of increasing revenue, or improving user engagement. In his blog article, “The Developing Dev” Ryan Peterman provides a great example such emphasis of technology as an enabler of business goals!
For examples of a results-oriented approach in daily work and how to demonstrate awareness of organizational goals, see the article that I wrote on the topic (link below).
Align yourself with company culture
Why this matters: cultural alignment is becoming a key retention factor. In an era of high performance demands, tech leaders aren’t just hiring skills, they’re hiring people who fit their vision of productivity and work ethic.
Taking action: regularly evaluate how well you align with company values and plan career moves before misalignment becomes problematic. Ask yourself these key questions:
Do I feel energized or drained when coming to work?
Does the company's vision truly inspire me?
Does the work environment fuel my motivation?
Manager feedback
Your manager should be your primary source of feedback about your alignment with company values. This feedback belongs in regular one-on-one meetings where you discuss performance, career development, and your role within the team's direction. By combining self-reflection with your manager's honest feedback, you'll gain a clear understanding of how well you fit the company's ideal of a model collaborator.
Pay attention to who gets promoted
Moreover, observe who gets promoted in your company—what behaviors do they share? When promoting someone, the company sends a clear message: "This person exemplifies our values" and "We reward this type of performance, mindset, and behavior." Use these promotions as your guide for better cultural alignment.
Speak the leadership language
Additionally, adopt the communication style of leadership. For example, if your company emphasizes product quality through automation, use phrases like "winning through automation" in your discussions. In your communications, highlight how you're leveraging automation to help your team succeed.
High performance is in demand more than ever. Mark Zuckerberg has expressed wanting more "masculine energy" at Meta, while Elon Musk demands his employees be "hardcore" and maintain a high work pace. These aren't just soundbites—they dictate hiring, promotions, and layoffs. If you're in an environment that prioritizes intense work culture, your survival depends on embracing that mindset or finding a better fit elsewhere. These tech leaders seek unwavering commitment from their workforce—a stance reflected in their hiring and firing practices. Following the Twitter acquisition in November 2022, Musk fired at least 3,700 employees who didn't align with X.com's new cultural direction. More recently, Meta laid off over 3,600 employees after Zuckerberg warned of an "intense year" ahead. These big companies aren't alone—in January and February 2025, 55 tech companies have laid off more than 13,000 employees! Organizations of all sizes now seek stronger alignment between their talent and their standards for collaboration, communication, and workplace mindset. This makes it essential for workers to thoroughly understand their company's culture, values, and collaboration standards. The stakes are high as even high performers at Meta have been let go, suggesting that strong performance alone isn't enough to ensure job security when compared to cultural alignment, which companies now appear to value at a premium.
Embrace automation and technology integration
Why this matters: AI isn’t replacing engineers, it’s making them exponentially more productive. Those who can integrate AI tools into their workflow will stand out, while those who resist risk being left behind.
Taking action: leverage automation tools to increase your output within the same amount of time.
Throughout history, technological revolutions have transformed how we work and live. The Industrial Revolution brought massive changes - from manufacturing advances to improved healthcare and education. This led to profound social shifts, including the rise of wage labor, public education, and consumer culture. Today, we're at a similar turning point with AI, which acts as a powerful force multiplier for achieving outcomes faster. The industrial revolution didn’t eliminate workers—it turned them into operators of machines that amplified their output. Today, AI does the same: it’s the modern equivalent of steam engines and assembly lines, allowing professionals to accomplish exponentially more. While this article isn’t meant to provide hands-on guidance on how to apply the tooling, I’d like to provide you some examples of how to achieve higher yield in different areas by relying on automation.
Programming
Use AI-based tools like Copilot and Vercel v0 to rapidly generate ready applications. In the well-known blog throughout the tech industry, The Pragmatic Engineer, Gergely Orosh gives a good situational overview of how AI can be used to jump-start application building bootstrap the first working version of a prototype!
Writing & editing
Ethan Mollick writes about integrating AI into his daily routines, showcasing its effectiveness in tasks ranging from text formatting to proposal writing. I recommend visiting his blog One Useful Thing.
Research, information synthesis
Executives from firms like Deloitte, EY, KPMG, McKinsey, and PwC have shared insights on effectively utilizing AI. This article tells how they employ AI tools for research, trend analysis, drafting communications, and automating tasks. For instance, Dan Priest at PwC uses AI for labor productivity research and policy writing, while Jim Rowan at Deloitte relies on AI for drafting newsletters. These leaders highlight the importance of clear, contextual prompts and view AI as a collaborative partner in enhancing productivity.
The path forward: thriving in the industry of tomorrow
The reality of today’s tech landscape is brutally clear: companies are prioritizing business impact, cultural alignment, and automation-first mindsets. As the industry evolves, so must we.
So, what’s next? How do you not only survive but thrive in this new era?
Make business impact your north star
Stop thinking about your work in isolation—connect it to revenue, cost efficiency, and customer success.
Every task you take on should have a measurable business outcome.
Align with your company’s culture, or find one where you belong
The most successful employees don’t just perform well—they fit well.
Study who gets promoted, how leaders communicate, and what behaviors are rewarded.
Master automation to multiply your output
AI isn’t a competitor—it’s an amplifier. The professionals who integrate AI tools will outperform those who don’t.
Whether it’s coding, writing, or research, leverage AI-powered tools to achieve more in less time.
Sources
The Cut. Mark Zuckerberg thinks companies need ‘masculine energy’ (link)
Business Insider. Elon Musk has been preaching the value of 'hardcore' work to employees for over a decade, early Tesla emails show (link)
The Conversation. Elon Musk’s ‘hardcore’ management style: a case study in what not to do (link)
The Pragmatic Engineer. How developers are actually using AI (link)
Blog One Useful Thing (link)
Business Insider. AI execs at big consulting firms share their favorite prompts and how they use the technology (link)
Great read here, Leszek! You share some excellent advice on how to be an impactful team player. While there's no magic formula to avoid getting laid off, I think adopting that team-first or even business-first attitude is critical. It's not just about you and your performance. Is what you're doing going to make your team better? Is it going to enhance the product and generate more revenue? When you're working for a company, there's are essential questions to ask so you can focus on working on the right tasks.