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Ask HN: What tech companies/industries will do well in a recession?

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Re: Ask HN: What tech companies/industries will do well in a recession?

#181

Post by amateurdev »

bee_rider wrote: post #41
amateurdev wrote: post #9

Power Systems or certain companies in the healthcare space? I was working in a company making software for utilities and oil & gas companies (think competition to GE, Siemens etc). Don't think this will ever be slowed down or have to lay off people specifically due to a 2008-09 like recession

How was it? I've always vaguely wanted to work for the power company. Seems like it would be a pretty stable field, and in the end it is a product that really helps people. For a while now I've had a vague suspicion that if we poured as much analysis into (broad strokes) smart grid stuff as we do advertising/the stock market, issues like renewables' intermittence would start looking like less of a big deal. (Although…

Culture-wise? Pretty boring TBH. I've worked in 2 startups and this company, hence the opinion. Work was very slow paced, lots of processes to follow and not experimental with technology (for obvious reasons). IMO ideal for someone who wants a great work life balance and decent pay. Never got the thrill of working for the 3 years I was there and decided it was time to move on.

Re: Ask HN: What tech companies/industries will do well in a recession?

#182

Post by QuarterReptile »

no_wizard wrote: post #12

I work at a startup currently and am wondering if it’s time to start job hunting at the big companies because I worry about stability. There will be some flood of labor soon I can feel it in the air and I want to get in before that

Without discounting the other good advice, it's unlikely that you'll be the one unable to find a job in a recession; that unpleasant distinction goes to people with low skills or education.

Re: Ask HN: What tech companies/industries will do well in a recession?

#183

Post by bart_spoon »

rafiki6 wrote: post #177
bart_spoon wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m in ML and looking to pivot to web dev due to this. My personal view is that ML is in the midst of its own dot-com bubble. There are plenty of valid use cases for ML currently, but on the whole it’s a solution in search of a problem, and a bit of a figurehead at most companies who are at the very least wanting to use ML/AI/data driven in marketing materials. If a serious recession hits, I think a lot of these comp…

My guess is you haven't worked anywhere where ML is a part of the core product. think e.g. search and recommendations.

I have. But at that job we got the ML system to a very solid state where it simply became a matter of maintenance. That didn’t require a whole lot of time, which meant people started looking for other ways to use ML, unsuccessfully, to justify keeping themselves around.

Re: Ask HN: What tech companies/industries will do well in a recession?

#184

Post by yourapostasy »

mooreds wrote: post #79
zerkten wrote: post #65

There is no exact answer to this question, just a set of factors that contribute towards doing better than someone else. First, do you directly make money for a company, or directly reduce costs? The closer you are to core activities that generate income, or increase efficiency, then the more protected you will be from being laid off. This applies to companies too in a way. Companies need core services like email or…

+1 for being close to the money. Prefer the revenue side over efficiency if possible.

Cantillon Effect for IC's.
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