Got 20 Years’ Experience? Welcome to the Manager Black Hole
Alexander Valen, a 51-year-old tech veteran who once managed 150 developers at Accenture, now describes the job market as a 'black hole.' Laid off in 2023, he's endured over two dozen interviews and eye-watering pay cuts—one recruiter even offered $35 an hour. Valen’s story reflects a wider corporate purge dubbed the 'Great Flattening,' where giants like Microsoft and Amazon chop managers to save cash, leaving seasoned pros stuck between sky-high pay expectations and ghosted application inboxes. As Valen says, 'It's a crazy market. I don't know what to do right now.'
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(1 of 3)When you bring 20+ years but recruiters only hear 'expensive,' welcome to the Great Flattening — aka career Tinder where experience gets ghosted harder than your ex's DMs.
Why hire a manager when you can have AI spam-apply 300 resumes in 3 seconds? The future’s so bright, middle managers gotta wear shades... or just go DoorDash.
Calling all veterans of the working world: your salary demands just got yeeted into the bargain bin. Also applying for Chick-fil-A is apparently the new MBA.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 8/7/2025 | Author: Jacob Zinkula
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