Canned

Dave has some thoughts on being downstream from DOGE. "It's not a ripple, it's a tidal wave." 

Pam and Amy talk about, well, some bullshit in the news.  How to think about AI before it's too late   Nvidia's Jensen Huang says CEOs who blame AI for layoffs are giving a 'lazy' excuse Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI The book I mention is Fluke by Christopher Moore. 

Mike got canned three times in succession. "It gets harder and harder as you get older. I don't think I'll ever be completely over it." 

Rachel fails at allyship and owns it. She takes the fall but notices that other folks whiffed it too... with no consequences. Yeah, it does get awkward. 

Leigh totally reads the room and it was ... not a good read. 

Annemarie logs out. 

Pam (not your host, a totally different Pam) got fired a bunch of times before figuring out she was on the wrong path. 

Someone had to take the fall, and that someone was Anu. 

"If you have a platform that is for a purpose, it's very easy to keep it on topic and solve problems for that purpose. And that's true whether it's an LLM, that it true whether it's a social network ... when technology is meant to serve a purpose for a community, it often does an incredibly good job... And when you have a person whose goal is just to make money ... that's when it gets to its worst...

Hey folks! I'm on a panel at this event on March 19th, 2026 at Obec Brewing in Ballard . Please come say hi. 

Dee burns herself down to keep her role and was rewarded by the expectation that she'd keep burning herself down.    Thanks to Todd Manley at Earsight Studios for his help with this episode. 

Shelley McIntyre helps us grapple with reinventing ourselves after we get canned. How do we redefine the experience of getting fired and what to we do next?  Find more about Shelley at Burn the Map .  

Corey discovers the math just isn't mathing. 

Producer Amy and Host Pam review the absolute sh!tshow that work and the job market has been in 2025. Eff bombs a-plenty, heads up, it's who we are.  

Lianna learns a lot of valuable lessons from her first "big girl" job (her words, not mine) including how you shouldn't do all the work at once. Pace yourselves, kids, there's little benefit in finishing early. 

It seemed like a great opportunity and Kevin believed in the cause, but "smellgate" made things awkward. Like, really awkward.  Here are the reasons you might be eligible for unemployment if you quit a job in Washington, where I live, the rules may be different in your location. 

"Layoffs are unfortunately a time where unions really show why they're important."  Zach posts about Workers Comp to Instagram , follow him to find out about their next event.  Ian -- Zach's co-creator for Workers Comp -- tells his story in E11, here . 

"The media landscape is changing." Yeah, Ian already knows that. 

Janice Brathwaite -- the president and founder of Workplace Transformations -- talks about her work with corporate culture. She's got a few things to say about the dreaded Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), how it's being misused, and what you should do if you're faced with one. TLDL (too long, didn't listen): Do. Not. Sign. Anything. 

Years later, Chuck still asks himself why he was so loyal to his job. 

Pam and Amy discuss the jobs report(s), how much AI is fucking things up for us, a listener's struggle to find work, and the curse of pumpkin spice season.  Articles referenced: AI is quietly reshaping the way we talk The job market is hell Employers added nearly a million fewer jobs  Episodes referenced: S2 E5: Tech Career Coach S1 E31: Design Manager  

"We knew bad things were going to happen in Philadelphia." She saw it coming, but it was still a blow when Dawn lost her dream job. 

Michael went in with a "healthy dose of skepticism" under the Biden adminstration though he believed the work was valuable. Then came the November election and DOGE. 

What's a career coach do? How does one help you? When do you need a career coach? What should you say about that time you got fired? And hey, what's the worst that can happen? Dr. Kyle Elliott patiently fields questions about what a career coach does -- and he gives good advice for navigating the landscape after you've been canned. Dr. Elliot specializes in tech, but his tips are good for anyone,...

Anne was a pioneer for women in the field. "It was a constant battle being accepted." Learn more about Anne on her website . Want a CANNED sticker? We're running a pledge drive. Venmo anything over two dollars (US listeners) or five dollars (non-US listeners), send your mailing address, and you'll get a CANNED sticker in the mail. Everything goes to pay for operating expenses: Zoom: $176.45 Podbea...