The Blind Ambition with Jack Kelly

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen explore what a crazy week it's been at Twitter. We discuss what happens with voluntary severances or employee buyouts and whether asking the hardcore to stay really works. Jack points out there's a vibe shift underway at Twitter, and Rick digs into the culture, reputational and employer brand risk of Elon Musk's late-night emails and policy changes. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/mhe5kscq https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackkellywecruitr https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenrick https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/18/technology/elon-musk-twitter-workers-quit.html

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen react to Amazon's layoffs before Black Friday and the holidays. We put the 10,000 job cuts in context, compared it against the Twitter and Meta layoffs, and dug into whether Amazon might cut even more jobs later. Rick shines a spotlight on what the Blind community says about Amazon's company culture and how HR terms like unregretted attrition or performance improvement plans can help us understand the world's largest online retailer. Finally, Jack gives his best advice on navigating the workplace amid the whiplash of company return-to-office and layoff plans. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/mhe5kscq https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackkellywecruitr https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenrick https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/technology/amazon-layoffs.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/11/16/lyft-meta-salesforce-and-other-tech-companies-are-downsizing-their-real-estate-why-this-is-good-news-for-remote-workers/

Alissa Schepisi, Executive Vice President, Employee Experience at Edelman Alissa is the go-to person for many company executives when they need to make a tough decision. We go behind the scenes into how leaders plan and communicate policy changes, like return-to-office plans, layoffs, employee attrition, and even compensation changes. She explains why some CEOs share non-answers in all-hands meetings and why they're still so awkward on Zoom. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/3cwop5mx

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen look into what happened with the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and its enigmatic founder and CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried. We tackle the crypto high-flyer's rise and sudden fall and discuss the red flags that might have been there all along. As a bonus, Jack shares his opinion steeped in working with hundreds of Wall Street and financial-technology compliance professionals for decades. Finally, Jack and Rick discuss how competitors and crypto firms dealt with FTX's bankruptcy filing and what this means for the industry and the thousands of professionals it employs. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/mhe5kscq https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackkellywecruitr https://www.linkedin.com/in/chenrick https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/11/14/the-swift-ascension-of-ftx-and-its-sudden-demise-the-sec-needs-to-take-action/

Jack Kelly and Rick Chen break down Mark Zuckerberg's decision to lay off more than 11,000 people at Meta. We explore what might have led to the historic 13% reduction in force, how the Blind community of more than 7 million professionals reacted, and what this means for the tech job market. Finally, Jack shares intel from his experience as an owner of an executive search firm, and Rick looks into the prospects for the thousands of people who have lost their jobs. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/mhe5kscq https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2022/11/09/meta-lays-off-11000-workers-how-to-cope-with-being-downsized-and-prepare-for-a-difficult-job-market/

William A. Adams, Former Technical Advisor to the CTO at Microsoft William reflects on working with Steve Jobs and how he became Microsoft's first technical advisor to the CTO. We tackle whether the compensation packages of $400,000 or more, which are now common in the tech industry, are sustainable and why some of the largest tech companies are doomed to be forgotten. Finally, William reveals the one trait required to succeed in the tech industry. (Hint: It's not a language or technology.) https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/yn59y792

Sean Flood, Managing Partner at EFO Ventures Sean walks us through the boom-and-bust cycle of mobility tech. He explains why he's still a fan, despite the public failures of some e-bike and scooter startups, and the niche he believes could spark a second renaissance in mobility. Plus, we get his advice on dealing with the recent stock collapses and how some of the best entrepreneurs overcame the 2007-2008 financial crisis. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/g3buuikr

Jonathan Salama, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Transfix Jonathan reflects on his time as a lead software engineer working on internal tools. He knows it isn't sexy work, but it proved pivotal in his career, helping him find a $700-billion opportunity. (Talk about impact!) Plus, find out why he turned down an acqui-hire job offer from Lyft.  https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/ephglajw

Joe Apprendi, Founder and General Partner at Revel Partners Joe reveals the metrics that he uses to invest and how we should use them to gauge a startup's prospects before we interview. He explains how startup valuations got so high, what happens when a company's share price drops below $1, and what we should ask the recruiter or CEO the next time we interview. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/rlnpulgl

Randy Kern, Chief Technology Officer at Marqeta It happens. Sometimes we all get to the point where our careers start to plateau. Randy shares his tried and true methods to develop the mastery to level up your career as a software engineer or technologist. He outlines how to manage how you are perceived and what it takes to demonstrate impact and land the next promotion. https://blindap.onelink.me/ttCg/000209ac