Your Next Great Career Opportunity Might Be at a Company You’ve Never Heard Of
For most of this century, top digital talent has flocked in two directions.
The first was Big Tech. Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others offered a near-irresistible combination: industry-leading pay, generous perks, and the chance to work on global-scale products with some of the smartest people in the world. It was the dream job for many, myself included.
Startups were the second major draw. The appeal here was different, but just as powerful: the chance to build something from scratch, move fast, take risks, and, if things went well, cash in on a life-changing outcome. It was a different kind of dream, but no less compelling.
For people with digital talent, strong credentials, and a willingness to work hard, this system worked. You either joined a rocket ship, or you built one. But today, both options are looking a little shakier.
Big Tech Isn’t the Safe Bet It Used to Be
Over the past two years, every Big Tech firm has undergone layoffs. Some were large and very public, with thousands of people learning via a cold email that their jobs (and often their identity) were gone. Others have been quieter, smaller “pocket layoffs” that don’t make headlines but still chip away at company morale. If you’re inside one of these companies, you know the feeling: less stability, more uncertainty, and a culture of the “winners” that are working on the headline-grabbing AI products and everyone else.
Big Tech jobs still pay well, and the quality of the people is second-to-none, but the dream job is no longer as bright.
Startups Are Facing a Different Kind of Risk
Startups, meanwhile, are running out of exits. The IPO window has been mostly closed for the last few years, and even in the best of times, only a small fraction of startups ever make it that far.
The more realistic hope for the rest was acquisition. Big Tech has traditionally been more than happy to scoop up promising startups, bringing founders and entire teams into the fold. But those deals are now facing serious regulatory headwinds. The DOJ is cracking down on Big Tech M&A, not just going after future acquisitions, but reexamining deals from a decade ago. Unsurprisingly, that’s made the big companies much more cautious.
Instead, a new and more troubling workaround is emerging: buy out the founders, leave the company itself behind. We’ve already seen early examples of this, and the message it sends is chilling—if the founder can cash out and walk away, what happens to the rest of the team? They are left on a rudderless ship with no clear exit plan and no upside to the risk and hard-work they put in. Why would top talent want to bet their career on something that fragile?
The Unexpected Third Option
Here’s the good news: AI is changing the equation and opening up a new, often overlooked path for great talent.
Thanks to the democratization of AI tools and infrastructure, every company now has the potential to do things that, until recently, were reserved for Big Tech and ambitious startups. That means companies in every sector—anywhere there’s real data and real problems—now have the ability to build smarter products, make better decisions, and compete in ways they couldn’t before.
But they can’t do it without the right people.
That’s the opportunity.
For the first time in a generation, the most interesting, high-leverage work might not be at a FAANG company or an early-stage startup. It might be inside a company with an established business, real customers, and the kind of operational complexity that AI can actually make better.
It’s Not Just a Theory - I Made the Jump Myself
I had a great 10 year run at Google, working on some of the company’s most impactful products. I helped lead multi-billion dollar businesses in Ads, launched Google Assistant, and worked to bring cutting-edge research in speech and AI to users around the world. It was fun, fast-paced, and full of brilliant people.
But eventually, I realized something important: Google would’ve done just fine without me. I wanted to go somewhere where my impact could be felt more directly. I was lucky enough o find such an opportunity and joined Northstar Travel Group as Chief Product Officer—an ambitious company with a strong mission, real challenges, and the opportunity to use data and AI in ways that move the business forward every day. The best technology is no longer held behind a walled garden of the biggest tech firms. Every single firm on Earth has access to this technology. The ones that bring in the right talent and embrace the opportunity are the ones that are going to thrive and not be disruptive during the AI revolution.
A New Thesis for a New Era
If you’re talented, curious, and looking for the next great challenge, here’s a new career thesis to consider:
Strong businesses + Real problems + AI = A better place to build.
The best opportunities ahead may not be the flashiest, but they’ll be the ones where you can do your best work, with real autonomy, real tools, and real outcomes.
Maybe it’s time we all rethink where the best talent really belongs.