A Letter from Om. Issue #01/2023

Hi! In case you are new around here, I am Om & this is my twice-a-month letter where I share what’s on my mind, my latest writings, articles worth reading from around the web, my recommendations & some of my photography.

What I have been up to: 

It is amazing how quickly the first month of the year has passed. January went way too quickly for me. I had an excellent start to the year — I went on a year-end photography trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With steady snow, low temperatures, and incredible minimal landscapes, it was a perfect way to ring in the new year. It put me in a great state of mind for the year ahead. However, my return to everyday life didn’t go as well — I picked up a bug. I didn’t test positive for COVID, but it felt like it. For about ten days, I could barely leave my bed. Whatever! I am just glad to be out and about. I have been researching and preparing to write much more in the coming year.  

What I am thinking about:

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that “tech layoffs” have been on my mind, and I wrote a column for The Spectator to explain “the why of these layoffs.” An unprecedented boom in Silicon Valley that started with the once-in-a-generation convergence of three mega trends: mobile, social, and cloud computing, has peaked. It started in 2010, and it has been bananas around here for the past decade or so. The FAANG+Microsoft companies saw their revenues go from $196 billion to over $1.5 Trillion. Let that sink in. Booming stocks helped create an environment of excess like never before. 

The companies got into the business of what Paul Kedrosky calls “people hoarding.” The pandemic and the resulting growth revved up the hiring machine even more. The over-hiring of talent has led to wage inflation, which had a ripple effect across the entire technology ecosystem. Technology insiders are happy to tell non-tech companies to use data and automation as tools to plan their future. It is easier to preach than practice. 

Why does Google need close to 200,000 employees? Or does Microsoft need 225,000 people? Salesforce, till recently, had about 73,500 employees. Profitable as these companies have been, it is also clear that they have become sloppy and bloated. I don’t want to undermine the misfortunes of those losing jobs. A lot of the blame is on the leaders of these companies, who were asleep at the wheel. The reality is that when it comes to business, companies have to appease their investors. And right now, those investors want to see companies be more efficient, especially now that growth is becoming normal. 

If you are looking for one, the silver lining is that we will soon be in a new cycle, and a new set of hype trends will converge and create opportunities. And they might not emerge in 2023 or 2024, but they surely will. By then, the industry would have put these job cuts in the rearview mirror. 

Stuck@Om New Episode:

Future of Search: A candid conversation with Sridhar Ramaswamy, ex-Googler fighting his former employer with a new approach to search! We talk about ChatGPT and Google’s 10-blue-link prison. ( Listen on Overcast Download on Apple. Listen on Spotify)

Recent writings:

1. WiFi is super fast on new MacBook Pros: The M2 Pro MacBook Pros are small bumps from their M1 predecessors, but as a broadband nerd, I love the speeds that WiFi 6E enables on this new machine. It seems like a good reason enough to upgrade, but then I am a broadband nerd. (Also, Apple launches new M2 chips)
2. Is “stream” as a design paradigm over?: For nearly two decades, we have used the stream to organize information. With algorithmic programming taking center stage, the reverse chronological stream is losing its preeminence. How does it impact web & blog design? Join a boisterous conversation in the comments section.  
3. Why Internet Silos Win: The social Internet is a performance theater praying at the altar of attention. That is why we all end up on mega-platforms. 
4. The Smartphone Megapixel Race. 

Worth reading 

• You can win even when you lose: On the 40th anniversary of the birth of Apple’s Lisa, folks at Computer History Museum argue that this was Apple’s best failure. 
• How did Xbox become so good-looking? A designer explains the transition of Microsoft’s hit device from an ugly duckling to a modern design icon.  
• AI had a fantastic year in 2022. Zhengdong Wang of Deepmind explains. 

Recommendations: 

1. Poker Face is a new series on Peacock Network. I have seen three episodes, and I am hooked. As a casino worker with unique talents, Natasha Lyonne is a special talent. Plus, there is Benjamin Bratt as a silent assassin. As someone who loves photography, I love the cinematography of this series and how they render Reno, Nevada. 
2. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s new album “12” has been on repeat at home. It is magical — somber, elegant, and restrained. Pitchfork review gives you context on the album. 

Random Fact:

The denim belt loop turned 100 this year. 

My photography: I would love for you to see some of my latest photographs. 

• Scenes from the Winter Wonderlands of Utah and Wyoming 
• Glacier’s Edge. Alaska 2018.

PS: Some of these photos are available for sale as prints. Drop me a line if you want to add them to your living space.