The Tech Industry’s Human Cost: When Experience Becomes a Liability

James Strawn, a 25-year veteran of Adobe, was laid off after nearly three decades in tech. He had spent over a year searching for another job in his field but eventually gave up and took a pay cut to become a school bus driver.

Strawn is not alone. Many workers who have spent years honing their skills are being forced to adapt or risk being left behind. Despite record-breaking profits, technology companies are shedding jobs at an alarming rate. When they do hire, it’s often for skills that are far beyond what their displaced employees possess.

The shift has been driven by the industry’s insatiable hunger for innovation and disruption. Workers like Strawn have been cast aside in the process, leaving behind a trail of lost careers and damaged mental health. “I was shown the door to a better life,” Strawn says, “and I’m still trying to figure out what that means.”

The myth of the meritocracy that underpins tech culture – where talent and hard work guarantee success – is being exposed as just that: a myth. Experience and expertise are being devalued in favor of new skills and fresh faces. It’s a stark contrast to the industry’s claims about valuing its human capital.

But what does this say about the industry itself? Is it merely a reflection of its own hubris, so focused on driving forward into an uncertain future that it neglects the people who have made its progress possible? Or is there something more at play here – a fundamental shift in how we value human experience and expertise?

The trend isn’t new. The rise of the gig economy and automation has been touted as a necessary evil, but the impact on workers is only just beginning to be felt. Strawn’s story highlights the problem: that experience can become a liability in an industry that values disruption above all else.

As Strawn navigates his new role as a school bus driver, he’s forced to confront the reality of his situation. He’s seen firsthand the impact that his own experience has had on his mental health, and he knows he’s not alone. There are countless others like him, struggling to adapt to an industry that no longer values their skills.

The tech industry’s treatment of its human capital raises fundamental questions about what we value most in our economy: growth at any cost, or people alongside profit? It’s a conversation that’s long overdue, one that requires us to re-examine our assumptions about work and the role it plays in our lives.