If you’re reading about Atlassian’s 1,600 layoffs thinking, “That couldn’t happen to me,” I’d gently push back.
This was one of the most admired employer brands in tech.
Five core values on the website.
- “Open company, no bullshit.”
- “Play as a team.”
A culture people actively chose.
And then came the pre-recorded video, the email, and a few hours on Slack to say goodbye.
That’s the point.
This is not just about @Atlassian.
It’s about the fact that no employer brand is protection against disruption anymore.
Not in the age of AI.
Not in a market this volatile.
Not when leaders are making decisions under pressure, at speed, with imperfect information.
So this is not a post about feeling sorry for ourselves. It’s a post about what you do next.
Because one of the biggest career mistakes people still make is assuming someone else is managing their future.
That mindset belonged to another era.
The era where you joined one company, climbed a predictable ladder, and retired with a gold watch is over.
Today, career security is no longer something your employer gives you.
It’s something you build.
That’s why I teach a simple framework called the 3Es Model for taking control of your career in the age of AI:
🔹 Enhance
Start using AI now to make your current work faster and smarter.
Emails. Research. Reports. Analysis.
Use it for quick wins. Track the hours you save. Build confidence.
Become the person on your team who knows how to use these tools well.
Because the risk isn’t just that AI will replace you.
It’s that someone who knows how to use AI will.
🔹 Evaluate
Take an honest look at your role.
Which tasks are most likely to be automated?
Which will be augmented?
Which are uniquely human?
Use AI to help you map your transferable skills and identify where the opportunities are growing.
At Atlassian, more than 900 of the cuts were in R&D.
The skills that helped build the company were suddenly not the skills shaping its future.
Don’t wait for that moment to ask where you stand.
🔹 Evolve
Use AI as your coach to build what’s next.
Learn faster. Upskill strategically. Create proof.
Build a portfolio piece. A presentation. A report. An analysis. Something tangible that shows you can operate in the next version of work, not just the last one.
Because the jobs that grow from here won’t all be “tech jobs.”
Many will be hybrid roles created as AI changes workflows, teams, and expectations.
And here’s the bit too many people miss:
AI doesn’t just threaten jobs.
It amplifies people who learn to use it well.
That’s why your next 90 days matter.
Your 90-Day Action Plan
Days 1–30
Pick three tasks you repeat weekly. Use AI to draft, summarise, or automate them. Track the time saved.
Days 31–60
Map your role against automation, augmentation, and uniquely human work. Ask: what transfers? What excites me? Where could I pivot?
Days 61–90
Choose one skill to build. Use AI to accelerate the learning. Then create something concrete that demonstrates the capability.
The window is now.
The 1,600 people who lost their jobs at Atlassian didn’t get this window.
You still have it.
So don’t wait for your employer to reskill you.
Don’t wait for a restructure to force the conversation.
And don’t confuse loyalty with career protection.
Own your career the way you’d want your company to own its values — proactively, intentionally, and before the pressure hits.
I go deeper on this in my white paper, Future-Proof Your Career. Link in comments.
#FutureOfWork #AI #CareerDevelopment #Atlassian #Leadership
