John Wilson

Father of two angels, softball 🥎 coach and golfer. Lover of my city #tampa

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@gotravelyourway @united

[The Ways of A Gentleman @Gentleman_Ways]

One of the most beautiful renditions of the Star Spangled Banner, the American National Anthem.

Turn up the volume!

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

In the past 10 days I’ve flown on @Delta @united and @AmericanAir. Delta best in-flight service but tired planes, United nipping at Delta’s heals with a much newer fleet. American doesn’t even seem like they are trying…

[Julius Kim @Julius_Kim]

I think Americans would be much more productive at work if there wasn’t constant stress-inducing madness going on at the hands of our government.

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

Companies need to do an extreme level of diligence on bias and ethics before engaging AI in the screening or selection process.

[Amanda Goodall @thejobchick]

HOLY F: Workday just lost the argument that matters most.

A federal judge said their AI hiring tools can be challenged for filtering out applicants over 40.

“The algorithm did it” is NOT a defense.

If this holds… every company using automated hiring just stepped into legal risk.

You’re not crazy... if you’ve applied to 50, 100, 200 jobs and heard nothing… The system itself may be filtering you out.

The decision means the plaintiffs may continue pursuing claims that Workday’s technology had a disparate impact on applicants age 40 and older. - SHRM

Judge Lin dismissed some California claims and one disability claim, but gave plaintiffs until March 27 to revise and refile.

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

Can @apple invent a way to put out of office on iMessage?

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

https://t.co/wGksvGEbZM

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

Great season @ChicagoBears You gave more Bears excitement and hope than we’ve had in a long time. Thank you.

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@aplusk He’s up!

[Crazy Vibes @CrazyVibes_1]

Anonymous

I was flying Southwest from Dallas to New York. Three rows ahead of me, there was a young soldier in uniform. He looked barely 18. He was staring straight ahead, gripping the armrests. He looked nervous. When the drink cart came around, the flight attendant asked him what he wanted. 'Coke, please,' he said. 'Heading home?' she asked kindly. 'No, ma'am,' he said. 'Deploying. First time.' The whole row went quiet. The flight attendant didn't say a word. she handed him his Coke. Then, she got on the PA system. 'Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest in Row 8 today. Private Miller is on his first deployment to serve our country. Since I can't buy him a drink, I’m going to ask a favor. If you want to write him a note of encouragement, pass it forward.' I grabbed a napkin. I wrote: 'You got this. Stay safe. - A dad from Row 12.' I watched as napkins traveled up the aisle. Napkins, receipts, pages torn from books. By the time we landed, the soldier had a pile of paper on his tray table three inches high. He stood up to get his bag, and he was wiping his eyes. He carefully packed every single scrap of paper into his rucksack. 'Thank you,' he told the flight attendant. 'No,' she said. 'Thank you.' We all walked off that plane a little quieter, reminded that freedom is just a word until you meet the kid who is defending it.

[Boring_Business @BoringBiz_]

Private equity firms adding operational value to their portfolio companies

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

What is going on with the job market?

I have been intimately involved in hiring markets for over 20 years, and I have been called on as a so-called expert by Fortune 500 companies more times than I can count. What we are experiencing right now is not new.

Anything you read in the media talks about the lack of jobs and the layoffs — and of course, how AI is taking all the jobs (more on that in a later post). One week it’s Apple and UPS; the next it’s Intel and Microsoft. While these layoffs are real, they are not happening for the reasons layoffs usually occur. These companies are not struggling, nor are they necessarily downsizing — they are changing. In most cases, they are firing to hire. If you don’t believe me, go to any of the aforementioned companies’ job sites and you will see hundreds if not thousands of open roles.

So why the layoffs? There are two main drivers.

1. 2021–2022 salaries were artificially inflated.
If you were hired in 2021 or 2022, you were most likely brought in above market rates. For example, if I hired a software engineer in 2022, I would have been paying that person 30–40% more than I would pay someone hired today. Most positions don’t have that large of a gap, but there was a premium paid on most jobs during those two years.
How long do you think a CFO will be comfortable paying 20%+ more for a role when they could hire someone with similar skills at today’s market rates?

2. We’ve seen this before — during the post-GFC “digital transformation.”
Those of us old enough to remember the post-GFC (Global Financial Crisis) job market remember the term “digital transformation.” It was a reshuffling of the workforce. Companies were doing layoffs very similar to what we’re seeing today — just replace “digital transformation” with “AI optimization.”
Like the early 2010s, companies are now hiring for roles they have never hired for before. No one was hiring an AI Architect three years ago, for example. Please don’t believe the hype: for every job AI eliminates, it is adding another — at least at this point.

With that said, is the overall job market strong? No — but it hasn’t been strong since 2023. We are in a major period of transformation and change. Will the job market stay soft forever, no.  Could it heat up just as fast as it cooled? Absolutely!

There are many other factors affecting the overall job market beyond the inflated 2021–2022 market and the workforce reshuffle. The next three most impactful, in my opinion (and topics for another day), are:
- Confusion around AI — specifically anticipation vs. realization
- Inaccurate and antiquated government job data
- Corporate focus on cost savings vs. growth

hashtag#layoffs hashtag#hiring hashtag#talent hashtag#AI hashtag#jobmarket

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@CNBC Cracker Barrel?!?

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@shayne_coplan Love this!

[The Random Recruiter @randomrecruiter]

Don't let the data gaslight you.

The job market is worse than what they say.

For 2 years, the media kept saying “Jobs beat expectations!”

But if you’ve actually looked for a job in tech (or anything white collar for that matter) You know that’s a lie.

Here’s the data that proves it:

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@KobeissiLetter Both!

[R A W S A L E R T S @rawsalerts]

🚨#BREAKING: For the first time in recorded history, Tampa Florida has officially reached 100°F setting a new all time high temperature. Records in the city date back to 1890, making this the hottest day in 135 years

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

I toured @NotreDame with my daughter today. Man that place is special, unlike any campus I have ever seen.

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@IvensDad Doesn’t the 787 have an alarm “NO TAKEOFF” if configured incorrectly? Similar much less sophisticated aircraft.

[John Wilson @wilsonceo]

@willahmed Happy to buy it but the website isn’t working for current members