Career forecast 2026: Pyramid collapse, hiring woes, and being human in an AI world

Bangalore is unsustainable. Here is how founders are building in smaller tech cities

Being an employee in corporate urban India is living in a perpetual state of frustration. Long hours, followed by longer commutes. Add infrastructural issues to the mix.  It is a nightmare. But people stay on for opportunities and growth.  That script is now flipping. Smaller cities in India are attracting talent, GCCs, and investments.  In this episode, we tell you the stories of three cities: Mangalore, Vizag and Nagpur.  In Mangalore, we talk to a founder looking to make the region the “silicon beach of India”. An incubation centre head from Vizag tells us about the “speed of doing business” in Vizag.  A former IT services veteran tells us what it takes to start from scratch in your hometown and what it means to take a long-term bet in a city full of promise.  Have thoughts about the episode? Write to me at vidhatri@the-ken.com [vidhatri@the-ken.com] or reach out to me on Linkedin at Vidhatri Rao [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhatri-r-237b12190/?originalSubdomain=in].  Credits:  Written and produced by Vidhatri Rao Edited by Rajiv CN

Career forecast 2026: Pyramid collapse, hiring woes, and being human in an AI world

We started 90,000 Hours because we believe careers are at an inflection point. Nothing seems to be certain anymore as old rules are actively being thrown out of the window. As we wrap up five months of this podcast, our reporting and stories reflected just that.    We have covered everything from how the American dream has shifted to how traditional networking has upended.  Across all these episodes, some themes showed up time and again. And before heading into 2026, we ask:  — What will replace the pyramid structure in organisations?  — What will the assessment of AI-led productivity look like?  — How to get hired when hiring is broken? Have thoughts on the episode? You can take this short survey [https://theken.typeform.com/to/qXOQ7TPW]or write to us at rahel@the-ken.com [rahel@the-ken.com] and vidhatri@the-ken.com [vidhatri@the-ken.com].  Credits:  Written and produced by Rahel Philipose, Vidhatri Rao Edited by Rajiv CN

In a sea of sameness, one skill stands out

Generative AI has made it easy to churn out decent design, copy, code in seconds. But in this flood of outputs, who decides what’s actually good? This episode looks at taste. Not the elite kind shaped in galleries or runway shows, but the kind that helps you make better calls at work. The kind that separates polished from passable, thoughtful from just fine. You will hear from: * Professor Bernd Schmitt, who teaches marketing at Columbia and has spent years studying brand experience and aesthetics. * Sunit Singh, co-founder of Design Capital, on how designers build creative judgment and why tools haven’t really changed the fundamentals. * Prateek Jogani, CTO at Qoala, on what taste looks like in code, and how engineers can sharpen theirs. If you have ever looked at something AI-generated and thought, “It’s... okay, I guess,” this one’s for you. As promised, check out the Museum of Bad Art [https://museumofbadart.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22270278233&gbraid=0AAAAA-APEBsenB6KuHwQn-Yhd4FJSR8aQ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6Lj-x8mukQMVj6RmAh1paBL4EAAYASAAEgKwzPD_BwE]

Young, skilled and floundering: Overcoming the hope gap in careers today

Every generation has a way of thinking their problems are unique and that they have somehow been handed the wrong end of the stick. Most times, it is a cliche. But sometimes, it captures a rare moment that we are only beginning to understand. Ask a young software engineer at an IT services firm today, this reality hits deep. The thing is there is a general sense of dread in the air. Only compounded by the constant noise about automation and AI taking away entry-level jobs. Add tariff uncertainties and clients tightening budgets... You get an industry under pressure from every direction. Today, you enter an organisation with expectations and land up in a reality you didn’t sign up for. No incentives. No challenges. You don’t know if you stand out, or if your work matters. Forget a plan for life. You don't know what’s going to happen in the next six months.We are giving this feeling a name: The ‘Hope Gap’. When this gap arises, people complain about not feeling ambitious or motivated. And the worst part is that nobody is telling them what to do to regain that hope again. What’s the solution? An IT services veteran and two open source contributors tell us. Their approaches are different but have takeaways for all. Tune in! Have thoughts about this episode? We would love to hear from you! Write to Rahel (rahel@the-ken.com [rahel@the-ken.com]) or Vidhatri (vidhatri@the-ken.com [vidhatri@the-ken.com]). Credits: Written and produced by Rahel Philipose, Vidhatri Rao Edited by Rajiv CN P.s Tell us about your best AI prompts  [https://theken.typeform.com/to/QYJnCk1A]

Meta to SoftBank to Verix: Kirthiga Reddy on navigating 'six careers in one lifetime'

In this week’s 90,000 Hours, Rahel Philipose speaks to Kirthiga Reddy, Meta India’s first hire, SoftBank’s first woman investing partner, and now founder of blockchain-powered credentialing platform, Verix. From taking a 40% pay cut after Stanford to steering an all-women SPAC through a turbulent market, she shares lessons on risk, reinvention, and building culture. This episode is also a first for us: a full-length conversation instead of our usual narrative. We would love to know what you think and who you would like to hear from next. Write to Rahel at rahel@the-ken.com This episode was edited by our wonderful in-house sound engineer, Rajiv CN. Tune in. P.S. Are you a manager, recruiter or founder who has been part of a hiring process in the last year? I want to hear from you. Take our survey.  [https://theken.typeform.com/to/FsoZnl8z]