The Joe Reis Show Freestyle Fridays - Thoughts on the Data Job Market, Going Solo, and More
10 snips
Mar 20, 2026 Thoughts on how the data job market has narrowed and become more production-focused. Rising demand for AI skills and AI language in job listings. Which data tasks are commoditizing and why static analytics are under pressure. Advice on building service-based side hustles, productizing narrow outcomes, and starting client work while employed. Emphasis on staying close to production and revenue.
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Layoffs Reflect Firms Positioning For AI's Future
- Companies cite AI as a factor in layoffs as they reposition for anticipated AI gains.
- Executives are preemptively reorganizing to 'skate ahead' of AI improvements rather than wait for disruptions.
Data Work Commoditizes While Platform Skills Rise
- Low-end data tasks are getting commoditized while the premium moves to platform, governance, observability, and ML support.
- Data pipelines must now serve bots and agents as well as humans, shifting infrastructure needs.
Replace Static Dashboards With Decision Systems
- Avoid relying on static dashboards; instead design decision systems, experimentation, and metric/semantic layers.
- Focus analytics on actions and experiment-driven metric design that guide executives to measurable outcomes.