Take one 24-year-old from Instagram at Meta: being made redundant by AI has put a new spin on how she thinks about her future. For those after a spot in big tech, she is a cautionary tale. There are no guarantees these days, so if you want to be on the right side of things, upskill beyond code, and do it quickly.
What Chen’s layoff signals for tech careers
Moyan Chen was let go in May, having been with Meta for under a year. She braced for the worst. What she got was something else entirely. ‘When it was time to go, I was like, This is it. More of a relief than anything,’ she put it.
In Chen’s mind, AI didn’t just factor into the call; it’s redefining the position. ‘I feel like I lost my job to AI.’ That’s a view worth heeding for anyone in data, since the kind of work she did is what a lot of young analysts and scientists are still built around.
From uncertainty to relief
It had been wearing on her for months. By March there were whispers of cuts and no way to tell who was in the crosshairs. You could count on hating Wednesdays. Some Tuesday nights she’d be left to wonder if she was even going back to her desk in the a.m.
She’d be up early on those Wednesdays, checking her inbox for something that never materialised. The wait was over when word came down on May 20th. In the end, the news put an end to the headspace more than it was a shock to the system.
AI is reshaping data science faster than many expect
As a data scientist at Instagram, Chen has seen the routine bits of the job go. With AI at your fingertips, you don’t have to put in as much legwork for queries or visualisations, and that has altered what a company is looking for.
‘If all you can do is code, you’re done,’ she says. ‘Writing some SQL, a bit of Python, running the numbers? Not a very good path forward.’ To her, where you make your mark is no longer in the syntax or the dashboard.
Workflows have changed. ‘I’ve stopped double-checking the AI on a query because they’re on point now.’ But she’s quick to note that you still need a person for the hard stuff – the judgment, the prioritisation. Don’t let automation win, get in front of it.
How to adapt your skills now
Chen would have you do a few things if you’re in the market for a data role:
– Make sure you have the business sense to back up your analytics
– Get better at framing problems and product thinking
– Be able to talk about a decision in more than just the numbers
– Let AI do the work, but keep your own judgment
– Figure out how to handle a project that doesn’t have clear lines
Big tech’s promise of security is under strain
The layoff put an end to the idea for Chen that you’re safe as houses at a top-tier firm. A lot of her old co-workers are out there making moves, putting up posts on LinkedIn and calling in favours. These days the market is as much about how you can pivot as it is about the name on your CV.
She likens it to trying to make your way through a storm on the open water. Put it this way: if AI is the tempest and the big platforms are some of the biggest, fastest ships out there, is a smaller, more plodding one any safer? A few in the know, she says, would put their money on finance for its steadiness, on the theory that they’ll be slower to let AI in.
Chen has her doubts. She doesn’t see an industry that will be left alone. The hard truth, in her view, is to find your lane and put technology to work on actual business issues, rather than just tending to a walled-off technical garden. That’s what gives you staying power, in any field.
Money fears and a change of heart
There was a time before the layoff when Chen put down roots for the security of it. “What am I going to do to put food on the table if I’m not with a major company?” It was a question that made her stick with the corporate route, from intern days on up.
Then everything changed. “Now I don’t feel safe. I could be let go on a whim.” The severance from Meta gave her some room to think, and in a way, it was a nudge toward a different sort of life.
Where does Chen go from here, and what can you make of it?
You can follow her story online as she puts down what she’s picking up on AI. She’s even looking into career coaching to be of service to others in the same boat. An AI startup is on the table, too, so long as it’s a good fit.
Startups have their perils, but so does inaction. “I could be at a large firm churning out the same old reports and analytics and end up in the dust,” she says. “That’s the real risk over time.”
For those just starting out, it means you have to do more than code. You have to add strategy, some communication, a sense of how the business works. That is how you make your skills last.
Don’t wait for the email to get moving
Chen’s few weeks of not knowing and dreading what was coming is a lesson in itself. Don’t sit on your hands until you have all the answers. If you hear a rumour, let it be the reason to look at your plan again, not to put your feet under the desk.
A quick way to see where you stand:
– See what AI is already capable of
– Get involved in other areas of the business
– Put together a portfolio of what you’ve done
– Make some headway with people outside your immediate circle
– Have a resume on hand that is current and to the point
In the end: be quicker to adapt than the tech
Chen is not as taken with AI as a tool as she is with what it does to the nature of work. That is where the opening is. You will be ahead of the game if you can set the agenda and get a team to move, not just if you can write code when asked.
She has been able to turn on a dime in part because of her circumstances. She is on her own, has no family here, and could always head back to China, though she likes it in New York. Most can’t be as fluid, so it is all the more reason to have a plan.
This isn’t a warning that AI is coming for your job in the next day or two. It is to say: get with the program. Machines can handle the small stuff; we still have to figure out what to make and why.
Her message to the rest of us is plain. The AI tide will eventually come for your corner of the world. So put some stock in well-rounded abilities, find a spot where you can be strategic, and don’t count on a name on the door for your peace of mind. When you are ready, you won’t be panicking.
