Stick Around and See What Happens
March 31, 2026
Here’s a (hopefully) relevant story…
This week alone, I’ve been involved in or overheard no less than a half dozen fairly gloomy conversations or news stories about “What is AI going to do to my job, my future job prospects,” or worse yet… “my kids’ job prospects?”
Spoiler alert, every story was inconclusive.
So, because history tends to repeat itself….
Back in my younger days, 1996 to be exact, while working at a large National recruiting firm, I noticed one of my colleagues packing the dreaded cardboard box of personal belongings.
“Shoot,” I said out loud. “I thought you were doing really well.”
“I am,” came the reply. “But haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?” said I.
“Monster, dummy!!! Monster.com is here. All the resumes will be online and all of the recruiting jobs are going away! This place is fine, but might as well get out and at least be ahead of the rush.”
I contemplated this exchange for a bit. But, because I was also doing well, enjoyed my job, and have never been much of a worrier, pessimist, or forward thinker, I decided my best plan of action would be “I understand your concern, but… I think I’ll stick around and see what happens.”
And you know what happened? Lots… and nothing.
Monster truly did make a huge impact on our industry, but it also came and went. Similar stories with Career Builder, The Ladders, Dice, and yes, even ChatGPT already feels like it may be repeating this cycle. Each one mattered. Each one changed the game a little. Yet here we still are.
The moral to this story? I could go with “Progress baby!!” But, I think it’s really a story about history repeating itself, and more importantly, how we choose to respond to it.
What lessons can we learn from similar past scenarios? How were they best navigated? And how do we apply those lessons to our current problem set?
I’ll leave it to you to ponder what this story means to you and your particular situation.
To me, it’s a story of continuing to do what I’m good at, but also continuously observing, learning, and adapting to my ever changing environment.
Good luck with the robots, everyone.
My plan: Stick around and see what happens.
Founder / Managing Partner
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