How workers are trying to get ahead of a job market full of uncertainty

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In today’s big story, people are getting nervous about layoffs. It could be time to start planning ahead.

What’s on deck:

Markets: Looking to invest in the AI data-center boom? There’s an ETF for that.

Tech: How workers train Tesla’s Optimus robot to act like a human.

Business: Social media is becoming a lucrative new side hustle for some military personnel.

But first, hope for the best but plan for the worst.

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The big story

Plan L(ayoffs)

Halloween has come and gone, but the labor market is still feeling spooky.

Many workers see job security as a rarity these days. But instead of waiting for the proverbial axe to drop, some are getting ahead of layoffs in a variety of ways, writes BI’s Jacob Zinkula.

Sometimes it’s as simple as getting a jump start on job hunting while you’re still employed. Other people Jacob spoke to diversified their income with a side hustle or picked up a second full-time gig.

While the approaches differed, the goal was the same: Don’t get caught off-guard if cuts come.

That’s sound advice regardless of the job market, but it certainly holds true these days.

The labor market has remained largely frozen for the past few months, with little to no hiring or firing. The slight thawing we have seen in recent weeks has been due to layoffs.

There has also been a rise in rolling layoffs where companies make multiple, small cuts as opposed to a single deep one. The approach is meant to help companies avoid cutting too deeply, but it doesn’t do much for employee morale.

As if all of this wasn’t nightmarish enough, don’t forget the threat of AI. Companies seem keen to leverage the tech’s efficiencies, which many interpret to mean lower headcounts.

Some of you might be dismissive of these layoff preppers.

“If you worked that hard on you’re regular job, you wouldn’t have to worry about getting laid off!”

But layoffs aren’t always telegraphed, and even in their aftermath, the reasoning isn’t always clear.

Take Amazon’s recent job cuts. When the news was first announced, it was described as part of the company’s goal to be leaner in the age of AI. One Amazon executive even encouraged employees in an internal memo to “lean in on AI.”

But just a few days later, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the layoffs weren’t AI-driven — “not right now at least,” he added — and were instead about culture.

So yes, maybe it doesn’t hurt to be a bit proactive. And if you do end up getting bitten by the layoff bug, we’ve got you covered with what to do next.

3 things in markets

1. This ETF could body the AI-data-center boom. The Tema Electrification ETF (VOLT) is poised to win big from the AI spending spree, according to analysts at Ned Davis Research. It’s already beating the S&P 500, and analysts think it’ll outperform the index by roughly 20% by 2027.

2. Leaving Wall Street for AI. When former Balyasny portfolio manager Barry Duong was under his noncompete period, he decided to learn about AI. Now, Duong leads AI strategy at startup Hebbia and thinks other Wall Streeters should also consider making the move.

3. How an “accidental banker” is running one of Wall Street’s biggest deal machines. Houlihan Lokey CEO Scott Adelson told BI how the bank is positioning itself, from going on a hiring spree while rivals hold back to making targeted acquisitions.

3 things in tech

1. What it’s like to train Tesla’s humanoid robot to be… human. Inside a glass-walled lab, dozens of Tesla workers act out the basic motions of everyday life — from wiping a table to lifting a cup — in an effort to train Optimus to move like a human. In conversations with BI, five current and former employees revealed what the job requires, including twerking, sprinting, and acting like a gorilla. One worker said that if their movements aren’t deemed “human enough,” their performance is critiqued.

2. AI, but make it have feelings. Eric Zelikman, a top AI researcher who recently left xAI, is raising $1 billion for his new startup at a $4 billion valuation, according to sources. Humans& will build models that attempt to learn from and empathize with their users.

3. Amazon’s rollercoaster week. On Tuesday, mass layoffs shook the Big Tech company. By Thursday, Wall Street was cheering a strong Q3 earnings report. Behind all of this, CEO Andy Jassy has been focused on changing the company’s culture and proving its AI chops, BI’s Eugene Kim writes.

3 things in business

1. One of the biggest competitions in San Francisco is shockingly low-tech. Getting your ad on billboards (yes, billboards) has become an “insane competition.” It’s largely thanks to AI startups with cash to burn that are looking to stand out. In some areas, billboard space is sold out for the next year.

2. A soldier’s foray into social media stardom. Since becoming a social media star, Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Vargas said he now earns more money online than through the Army. For BI’s series on military influencer culture, Vargas said he’s on a mission to help other service members cash in, too.

3. The C-suite’s best career advice. The truth is that there isn’t a clear path when it comes to climbing to the top. It’s often dependent on timing, the industry, personal networks, and more. Executives shared with BI the best career advice that’s stuck with them.

In other news

• VIDEO: What it takes to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
• Suites at the Super Bowl, Nobu on board, a trip to Lake Como: Inside the perk wars taking over the private jet industry.
• She’s 93 and still job searching. Why older Americans work, even if they’re sick.
• I tried Grokipedia. It has something to teach Wikipedia about AI.
• OMG! ‘AMG’ is a money machine the world has never seen before.
• The shutdown isn’t stopping Trump’s major student-debt overhaul.
• The Supreme Court’s next big test: How far can a president go on tariffs?

What’s happening today

• Former aide to New York governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul on trial, charged with acting as an agent of the Chinese government.
• AstraZeneca shareholders vote on proposed listing of shares on NYSE.

Dan DeFrancesco, deputy executive editor and anchor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

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