WTF Is Happening to the Tech Job Market?

Harnoor went from repeatedly failing Microsoft interviews to becoming a Software Engineer at Microsoft but when he entered the Silicon Valley job market again, even Big Tech experience wasn’t enough. After applying to more than 200 companies, landing 10 interviews, and getting rejected from every one, he discovered how dramatically the tech industry has changed. In this conversation with Harnoor, we break down his journey from India to college in the US, working at NCR and Microsoft, leaving Big Tech, taking an eight-month career break, and eventually joining an early-stage AI startup. 💡 Harnoor shares: ✅ How he got into Microsoft after being rejected multiple times ✅ Why his compensation nearly doubled after joining Microsoft ✅ What it was like building products used by more than 10 million people ✅ Why he left Microsoft after three years ✅ What he learned during an eight-month career break ✅ The reality of moving to Silicon Valley without a job ✅ How 200 applications resulted in 10 interviews and zero offers ✅ Why startup interviews can be harder and less predictable than Big Tech interviews ✅ Why LeetCode alone is no longer enough to get hired ✅ The difference between working at Microsoft and an early-stage AI startup ✅ Why system design matters more than memorizing programming syntax ✅ How AI coding tools are changing the role of software engineers ✅ Why engineers need to understand scalability, infrastructure, and distributed systems ✅ Why cold-applying through job portals usually doesn’t work ✅ How networking, tech events, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Discord can increase your opportunities ✅ Why learning to code is still worth it—but only learning to code is not ✅ How developers can remain valuable in an AI-first job market 📌 Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:40 From India to Microsoft 2:35 Working at Microsoft 3:19 Why He Left Microsoft 4:48 Taking an Eight-Month Career Break 6:14 Microsoft vs an Early-Stage Startup 7:46 The Brutal Silicon Valley Job Market 9:53 Big Tech Layoffs and the Impact of AI 11:42 Why System Design Matters More Than Coding 12:22 Why He Chose an AI Startup 13:46 AI Agents, Automation, and Security Risks 16:04 Rapid-Fire Career Questions 17:20 The Biggest Mistake New Graduates Make 18:10 What He Would Do If Starting Again 18:49 Is Coding Still Worth Learning in 2026? 👋 about me I’m Maddy, a senior software engineer (prev. at Google), with prior internships at Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Amazon. Sharing my journey here - thanks for watching 🤍 🔗find me on other socials Instagram   / madeline.m.zhang   LinkedIn   / madelinemzhang   Tiktok   / madeline.m.zhang   🔔 Subscribe for more tech career tips & coding content! *disclaimer: views are all my own and do not represent any current / past employer(s) if you found this valuable, hit subscribe - more deep-dive conversations with top engineers, tech leaders, creators, and career experts coming soon. #softwareengineering #bigtech #microsoft #techpodcast #techcareers #jobmarket #jobsearch #siliconvalley #aiengineering #systemdesign #coding #artificialintelligence #softwaredeveloper #developerjobs #techlayoffs #careeradvice #leetcode #startups #devrel #programming