The hottest Careers Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Where We're Going ...

UnfairNation by Ehsan Zaffar • 6 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. The future is moving too fast for old, predictable career roads — you can’t assume a single major or job will map your whole life anymore.
  2. Raw knowledge and fixed skills are less valuable because information is easy to access and many tasks are being automated by AI.
  3. Adaptability is the most important asset now: learning how to learn, staying curious, communicating well, and being open to new ideas will let you thrive when the ground shifts.

AI: Practical Advice for the Worried

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2419 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. There are good reasons to worry about AI, but also reasons to be skeptical of imminent transformative AI.
  2. People often struggle to react appropriately to worrying AI information, either ignoring the risks or overreacting.
  3. In the face of AI uncertainties, living a 'normal' life is still valuable and preparing for the unknown while staying flexible is crucial.

2025 Year in Review: Themes, Trends, Status, Top 10 Articles

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 29 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🪑 Design Careers
  1. AI has become the interface. Design now focuses less on pixels and more on defining goals, constraints, guardrails, and when humans should intervene.
  2. Agency is the new professional currency. Careers shift from titles and craft to the ability to frame problems, set intent, and steer AI systems under uncertainty.
  3. Research, creativity, and distribution are refashioned by AI. User research runs at machine speed, visual creation is democratized, and UX must handle time, prompt literacy, and AI‑mediated discovery.

AI will replace you at your job if you let it

Technically • 28 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
💼 Business Careers
  1. If you hand the core parts of your job to AI without meaningful oversight or creativity, your employer may decide the AI can do it instead of you.
  2. Relying on AI for foundational tasks prevents you from learning the craft and developing good judgment, which makes you less valuable over time.
  3. Use AI to augment your work, not replace it. Start small by automating narrow repetitive tasks, keep guardrails and testing in place, and combine model outputs with your own insight and personalization.

Commemorating the Time My Boss Called a Meeting at 9AM on December 23 to Call Us a Bunch of Losers

I Might Be Wrong • 22 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
💼 Business Careers
  1. The boss held a surprise all-hands right before the holidays and publicly berated the staff, which was demoralizing and tone-deaf. Yelling at employees in that way rarely motivates and mostly breeds resentment.
  2. The leader who blamed the team was later exposed for long-running fraud, revealing hypocrisy and that leadership, not staff, can be the real problem. Organizational failures often trace back to corrupt or incompetent management.
  3. When someone shows you who they are, believe them — small signs of abusive or unethical behavior can predict much larger issues. Trust your instincts about toxic leadership and prioritize working somewhere healthier.
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You Ain't Shit

We're Gonna Get Those Bastards • 11 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
💼 Business Careers
  1. Ego is dangerous and can wreck your career, relationships, and life, so keep it in check and don’t think you’re more important than you are.
  2. Money and small successes often inflate people’s heads, so don’t let a raise or a win change how you treat others; be respectful and empathetic to everyone.
  3. Stay grounded by accepting feedback, checking on friends who are struggling without trying to fix them, and remembering you’re never above honest work.

When the ladder disappears

The Engineering Manager • 10 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. A lot can change in five to ten years, often unpredictably, so planning toward a specific job title or destination is unreliable.
  2. Three big forces — AI changing how knowledge work gets done, flatter organisations that cut management rungs, and a shifting idea of “senior” toward orchestrating systems — are making traditional career paths less certain and changing which skills will matter.
  3. Instead of aiming for titles or ladder rungs, define a personal north star: who you are, what you value, and the kinds of work you want to do, then use that as your guide for decisions and for coaching your team.

January Newsletter

RSS DS+AI Section • 11 implied HN points • 01 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. AI and large language models are advancing rapidly, with major companies and open-source projects pushing innovations in long-context reasoning, memory, and generative capabilities. Competition is driving frequent releases and new research on foundation models and video/world-models.
  2. Ethics, bias, interpretability, and regulation remain central concerns as real-world uses expand, prompting debates, lawsuits, and calls for better safety research. Work on interpretability is seen as especially important for progressing AI more safely.
  3. The community is focusing on practical adoption and professionalisation through tutorials, production tips, projects, workshops, a new journal, and competency frameworks. There are also learning opportunities, internships, and calls for volunteers to help shape best practices and careers.

LLM Links, 2/12/2025 and Live Event Friday

In My Tribe • 212 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. Reasoning-trained AI models are expected to outperform existing models in tasks like coding and math while still being costlier to run.
  2. DeepSeek is making waves in AI for its engineering efficiency and lower training costs, potentially leading to many companies creating competitive models.
  3. AI might replace numerous jobs, with tax preparers topping the list, highlighting the shift towards automated processes in many fields.

Where Is Technical Program Management Heading in 2026?

Building Rome(s) • 15 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. AI tools will keep getting much smarter and cheaper, so TPMs should design workflows that age well and leverage compounding improvements instead of chasing a perfect tool.
  2. The novelty phase of AI is ending — leaders will demand real ROI, so TPMs must focus on measurable outcomes like predictive planning, risk simulations, and AI-assisted forecasting rather than surface-level automations.
  3. Companies need to provide access and training for specialized AI tools because lack of access will become an organizational problem, and the TPM role will shift toward a builder, cross-stack, AI-fluent generalist that increasingly overlaps with product management.

Job search next steps: AI spice level calibration

Sex and the State • 18 implied HN points • 21 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. Learning and writing about AI can help with job-seeking while also satisfying personal curiosity and a desire to do good.
  2. The aim is to position oneself for thought leadership or AI policy work across for-profits, trade associations, and non-profits/think tanks.
  3. After reflection and advice, the decision is to stop over-censoring and speak more candidly about AI, even if that might alienate some potential employers.

Revisiting and expanded: Thanks again, JT

Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life • 11 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
🚌 Education Careers
  1. Teaching can be deeply rewarding and fulfilling, bringing joy from helping students grow both academically and personally.
  2. A single inspiring teacher can spark a love of a subject and even influence someone’s career choices.
  3. Small, consistent acts of care—like noticing a shy student or suggesting clubs—have big, lasting effects on students’ confidence and memories.

Coming soon

Space Ambition • 439 implied HN points • 24 Aug 22
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. A group of passionate people is focusing on space technology and its benefits. They want to make space tech easier to understand for everyone.
  2. Their goal is to inspire discussions about space, encourage investments in SpaceTech, and help people find careers in this field.
  3. They plan to share clear insights and updates about SpaceTech to help people stay informed about its developments.

Are developers happy yet? Unpacking the 2025 Developer Survey | Stack Overflow’s Erin Yepis

Dev Interrupted • 14 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. Developer job satisfaction is improving after a recent dip, driven mainly by better autonomy and compensation, though senior engineers report higher happiness than juniors.
  2. AI tools speed up code generation but often just move the bottleneck to testing, validation, and maintenance, so teams need experienced oversight and metrics to avoid creating technical debt quickly.
  3. Large language models can be compressed and de‑censored, showing they’re easy to reverse‑engineer and repurpose, which raises new risks for model security and trust.

The Audacity of it

We're Gonna Get Those Bastards • 6 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
💰 Finance Careers
  1. Successful people can still fear greater success and often set small, safe goals because they doubt they deserve more.
  2. Big opportunities can trigger paralyzing anxiety where performance depends as much on mental makeup and faith as on technical skill.
  3. Despite the fear, choosing audacity—taking bold actions, enjoying life’s perks, and trusting a higher power—helps you handle uncertainty and keep moving forward.

The Missing Multiplier

Perspective Agents • 3 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
💼 Business Careers
  1. Top leaders now treat AI as the most consequential global issue, and leading AI builders warn of rapid advances that could replace many entry‑level white‑collar jobs within years.
  2. Companies have the models and tools but are getting little financial benefit because they lack a Human OS — the people, workflows, incentives, and governance that turn AI capability into real value.
  3. This gap is both an organizational and career crisis: without rebuilding how people learn and work, roles from juniors to middle managers are at risk while AI‑native workers and new ladders will rise, so act now to build human readiness.

Lessons from My Year of Yes

Perspectives • 4 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
💼 Business Careers
  1. Saying yes opens unexpected opportunities and brings more connection, projects, and meaning into your life.
  2. You don’t have to be perfect or fully ready — showing up and pushing beyond your comfort zone is often enough to help you grow.
  3. Make time to process and reflect, and accept that some necessary yeses are hard; creating space helps you choose what matters next.

Overcoming the frustration of not knowing whether AI will replace your job

Prawfeed Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
💼 Business Careers
  1. AI uncertainty is real, but you can separate what’s unknowable (like company adoption or regulation) from what you can learn (which tasks are automatable and how your workplace is changing).
  2. Technology usually changes tasks before it eliminates whole jobs, so make your work AI-complementary by owning judgment, handling exceptions, and adding one or two adjacent skills like data basics or clearer communication.
  3. Use a small set of signals and a simple 2–4 week review cadence to stay responsive without obsessing, let AI reduce your mental load, and reframe the question from “will I be replaced?” to “how will my tasks change?”

How to hire & get hired in 2026: The guide to the Gen Marketer skillset

MKT1 Newsletter • 8 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
💼 Business Careers
  1. Marketers need to become 'Gen Marketers' by blending generalist skills with specific expertise to stay relevant in 2026. It's not just about knowing one area well anymore.
  2. To succeed in marketing, you should run campaigns that are different from others, move quickly and adapt to changes, and use multiple channels effectively. Creativity and speed are key.
  3. Networking is crucial for finding jobs and candidates. Engaging with others in the industry through social media or events can open doors for opportunities.

Careers: Aligning Stated and Revealed Preferences

Moral Mayhem Podcast • 19 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
💼 Business Careers
  1. Many people think their career paths are more straightforward than they actually are. It's okay to change jobs if you're not happy, as often the risks are lower than you think.
  2. People sometimes stay in jobs longer than they should because they're worried about making a change. Remember, doors don't completely close and new opportunities often arise.
  3. Anxiety about career choices can feel overwhelming because of how much we tie our value to work. However, this fear usually doesn't match the reality of risk when trying something new.

I made my (first) movie

The Next Chapter • 3 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Careers
  1. Filmmaking is an emotional and spiritual journey that can move grief and create deep creative fulfillment.
  2. Directing is physically and mentally demanding — it requires stamina, constant presence, and the ability to multitask through long, tiring shoot days.
  3. Building intuition is a process. Know your story and tone early, learn technical filmmaking vocabulary, and use visual prototypes (storyboards, reference images, rough cuts) to communicate and refine ideas.

What Next? Fifty Year Careers.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 34 implied HN points • 09 Feb 25
💼 Business Careers
  1. People are living longer, which means careers need to adapt and may last 50 to 60 years. This change requires a rethink on how we approach retirement and the 'next act' in our lives.
  2. Many people struggle with retirement because they find it hard to find purpose without their work. It's important to plan for meaning in life after the 9-to-5.
  3. To stay relevant in today's fast-changing world, we need to keep learning and upgrading our skills. Relying solely on past knowledge can lead to being left behind.

How to Think Like a VC When Evaluating a Startup Role

The Caring Techie Newsletter • 11 implied HN points • 12 Aug 25
💼 Business Careers
  1. Before joining a startup, it's important to evaluate the market. Ask yourself if it’s growing and if the company has a chance to succeed.
  2. The team is crucial to success. Look into their backgrounds and how well they work together to see if they can achieve their goals.
  3. Understand the business model and financial health of the startup. Make sure there's a clear path to revenue and that you’re getting a fair deal if you decide to join.

🔥 48 hours left: Get 40% off Art of TPM

Building Rome(s) • 1 implied HN point • 29 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. There’s a 48-hour limited-time 40% discount on the annual subscription, lowering the price from $80 to $48.
  2. The offering focuses on helping TPMs build judgment, leverage, and clarity to stay relevant as GenAI and new tools reshape the role.
  3. Paid members get practical, real-world resources—like an interview guide, an AI tools guide, and long-form lessons—plus a quiet community of thoughtful TPMs to learn from.

Love letter to Wikipedia editor Agent 86

Penelope Trunk's Substack • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Careers
  1. Wikipedia editing can be a complex process with rules and challenges, like dealing with page deletions and revisions.
  2. Gender bias is apparent on Wikipedia, with women editors facing obstacles and women's topics often getting less coverage.
  3. Promoting gender parity on Wikipedia by comparing pages of individuals of different sexes can help address biases and inconsistencies.

The Retrieval-AI Shift: Win on Cost, Compliance, Career

OSS.fund Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 10 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is becoming the preferred choice for businesses because it's much cheaper and faster than traditional methods.
  2. With RAG, roles in companies are changing. Workers will focus more on creative tasks and less on data collection and routine analysis.
  3. Skills related to RAG are very much in demand now, with companies looking for people who understand new tools and can design effective systems.

Nobody Has This Figured Out

On Engineering • 0 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Careers
  1. Companies are shifting toward platform-style products where customers compose features from core primitives, which reduces the number of people needed to build and support those features. This is a strategic architectural change, not just a short-term cost cut.
  2. Many recent layoffs are as much a correction for pandemic-era overhiring as they are about intelligence tools, and AI is often used as a convenient narrative; the quieter impact shows up as unfilled requisitions and paused hires rather than dramatic firings.
  3. Engineers can’t just “build” and expect success — competition is fiercer and the moat is now distribution, trust, and business skills, so actively learning adjacent skills, experimenting, and adapting is wiser than staying passive.

Movers, Shakers, & Money Makers (5/13)

Human Capitalist • 0 implied HN points • 13 May 24
💼 Business Careers
  1. Several top executives recently changed jobs, indicating shifts in the business landscape. This shows how companies are evolving and adapting.
  2. Notable moves include executives focusing on growth and data roles, which suggests an increasing importance on data-driven strategies. Companies are prioritizing talent that can lead in these areas.
  3. The ongoing changes hint at a trend of professionals with diverse backgrounds moving into leadership positions. This can bring fresh perspectives and innovation to organizations.