They Think an Idea is Bulletproof. They Are Wrong.
Beneath the mask of "AI efficiency" and "corporate restructuring" is the flesh-and-blood of thousands. An idea of a future without their workers has been planted. But ideas can be changed.
Artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up. -Evey Hammond, V for Vendetta
Your Government Told You to Remember
The guy who was brutally murdered at Turning Point USA, but not to remember the 13,000 humans out of work. In June, for the first time in years, the economy did not just stagnate, it actively bled 13,000 jobs. This was not an act of God, but rather a matter of policy. Do you know of no reason why this treason against the worker should ever be forgotten?
They Wear the Mask of Profit. We Are the Face Beneath It.
Companies like Salesforce and Amazon speak of an AI-driven future with fewer people. They claim that AI will not replace people, but rather that those who use AI will replace those who do not. This is a paradox they hope you won't question. They forget that a symbol, like a company's value, is given power by people. Alone, it is meaningless.
An Auspicious Opportunity: 911,000 Fewer Reasons to Trust Their Lies.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics itself revised a year of job growth downward by 911,000 positions. The picture was always bleaker than they painted. When the truth is unveiled, what will you do? Will you allow this series of unfortunate events to pass unmarked?
They Promise Order, They Demand Your Silent Consent.
The narrative is one of fear: fear of economic uncertainty and fear of being left behind by technological advancements. This fear has become the ultimate tool. But ask yourself: who benefits from this silence?
Read Between the Lines:
When a company cites "low attrition" or the need to become "future-ready," consider what is unsaid. Often, this is code for protecting profits and shareholder value above the well-being of people.
The Dark VC Money Playbook (Q3-Q4 2025)
- The Spicy Take: VCs are creating a bubble by dumping capital into a handful of unproven AI giants, starving all other sectors of oxygen and innovation.
- The Evidence: AI companies now account for 58 cents of every VC dollar deployed in 2025, despite often having higher burn rates than actual revenue.
2. The Mega-Fund Monopoly
- The Spicy Take: Power is consolidating into a few massive funds that are dictating the future of tech based on a narrow, self-serving worldview. It's a closed circle.
- The Evidence: A staggering one-third of all U.S. VC investment in 2025 came from deals involving just the six largest funds.
- The Spicy Take: The "downturn" is being used as an excuse to crush Black and emerging fund managers, systematically killing a diversity of ideas before they can even start.
- The Evidence: Funding for emerging managers (a key source of diversity) has plummeted from $64B in 2021 to just $4.7B so far in 2025.
- The Spicy Take: After years of pushing "growth at all costs," VCs are now forcing portfolio companies to make deep, sudden cuts—sacrificing workers to extend their own financial runway.
- The Evidence: Over 22,000 tech layoffs in 2025 are a direct result of this sudden, VC-mandated pivot to "efficiency" and profitability.
How to Read the VC Playbook
The moves above aren't random; they're a calculated response to a new economic reality. Here's the dark logic behind them:
- The AI Gambit is a Hail Mary: VCs are piling into AI because they need a narrative of "transformative potential" to justify massive valuations in a shaky market. The high burn rates (the median Series A AI company burns $5 to gain $1 of new revenue) are waved away as the cost of funding the future. It's a high-risk bet that the AI boom will create the outsized returns they can't find elsewhere.
- Consolidation is a Shield Against Losses: With the IPO window only "cracking open" and LPs demanding returns, mega-funds are circling their wagons. They're backing proven late-stage companies because early-stage bets are now too risky. This isn't about funding innovation; it's about capital preservation and maintaining a strong image for their own investors.
- The 'Efficiency' Push is a Euphemism for Survival: The sudden pivot from growth to profitability is a direct order from VCs who can no longer afford to prop up struggling startups. The massive layoffs you see at tech companies are the direct result of VCs pulling the rug out, telling founders to cut burn rate immediately or face extinction. The human cost is collateral damage.
How to Follow the Dark Money
If you want to track this in real-time, don't just watch the press releases; also monitor the company's official website for updates. Search for their name on Twitter. Monitor layoff trackers like WarnTracker. Listen to the earnings calls where CEOs tout "AI efficiency" as a reason for headcount reduction. And pay attention to the funding rounds! When you see a billion-dollar AI deal, ask which sectors aren't getting funded as a result.
This isn't just a market correction; it's a fundamental reordering of Silicon Valley's power structure, leaving many people behind.
I know what you're thinking.
"Sounds awful, Steph."
Yes, it is, BUT! I have a workaround!
The IC's Playbook: Turning the Tables in the Dark Money Game
The VC playbook is designed to make you a disposable asset. Your playbook is about making yourself an indispensable, untouchable force. Here's how you fight back, starting today.
1. Against the AI Feeding Frenzy: Weaponize AI for Your Own Leverage.
- Their Game: Pour billions into AI to eventually replace you.
- Your Move: Become so proficient with AI that you become the architect of the new system, not its victim.
- Actionable Steps:
- Become an In-House AI Expert: Don't wait for training. Identify one high-value, repetitive task in your workflow (e.g., code review, generating marketing copy, analyzing customer support tickets) and master an AI tool that automates it. Document the time saved and present it as a win.
- Shift Your Title: Start referring to yourself as an "AI-Augmented [Your Role]." This immediately reframes you from a cost to be cut to an innovator leveraging the latest technology.
- Build an AI Portfolio: Use public AI models to create sample projects that demonstrate tangible business value. This isn't for your current job; it's for your next one, demonstrating your ability to deliver more with these tools.
2. Against the Mega-Fund Monopoly: Build Your Own Decentralized Network.
- Their Game: Consolidate power so your career depends on their whims.
- Your Move: Create a power base so independent and robust that their influence becomes irrelevant to you.
- Actionable Steps:
- Go Beyond LinkedIn: Build genuine connections in communities like Offboard or read this Reddit thread. The goal is not to collect contacts, but to have 2-3 meaningful conversations per week with people outside your immediate company bubble.
- Document Your Work Publicly: Start a blog, a GitHub portfolio, or a technical Twitter account. Share what you're learning. Public proof of your expertise makes you findable by opportunities that bypass traditional VC-backed channels.
- Cultivate "Talent Allies" in Other Companies: Form a pact with 3-5 peers at other companies to share intel on company health, culture, and real hiring needs. This is your early-warning system against rug-pull layoffs.
3. Against the Diversity Squeeze: Invest in Undervalued Communities.
- Their Game: Defund diverse ideas and founders.
- Your Move: Direct your talent and attention to the ecosystems they are abandoning. This is where the next wave of real innovation will happen.
- Actionable Steps:
- Mentor Relentlessly: Offer your time to mentorship programs for underrepresented groups in tech (Code Tenderloin, US Digital Response). Your knowledge is currency; spend it where it counters their narrative.
- Patronize Alternative Economies: When considering your next move, actively research startups funded by emerging managers, diverse-led VCs, or employee-owned cooperatives. These companies often have more resilient, human-centric cultures.
- Amplify Diverse Voices: Use your platform (even a small one) to share the work and achievements of founders and ICs from underrepresented backgrounds. Algorithms favor engagement; give them some.
4. Against the Rug-Pull Layoffs: Operate Like a Free Agent.
- Their Game: Keep you dependent and fearful, so you accept worse conditions.
- Your Move: Embrace the mindset that your current job is a "project" or a "client," not your identity. Your loyalty is to your skills and your network, not to a logo.
- Actionable Steps:
- Maintain a "Continuous Interview" Loop: Even if you're happy, take 1-2 exploratory calls per month. This does two things: it keeps your interview skills sharp, and it provides you with real-time data on your market value, helping to strip away fear.
- Know Your "Walk-Away" Number: Calculate the exact financial runway you need to be comfortable (6-12 months of expenses). This number is your psychological armor. It transforms a layoff from a crisis into a planned transition.
- Become an "Impact Sniper": In your current role, don't just do your job. Relentlessly tie your work to measurable business outcomes (revenue saved, revenue generated, time saved). You're not an employee; you're a vendor of quantifiable results. It's much harder to cut a vendor who can directly prove their value.
TL;DR
They want you to see yourself as a line item. Your mission is to consistently prove that you are the source of the value itself. This isn't just about keeping a job; it's about reclaiming your agency in a system designed to strip it from you.
Remember: Your most powerful act of resistance is to make yourself impossible to replace.