Should we stay where we are?

Originally published 5 January 2016. AI polished for a better reading experience: 11 August 2026.

Things are getting faster. Not only new technologies, but new business models appear at an extreme pace. Are we prepared for a world that moves this quickly?

From my early twenties I worked in multinational corporations, and for a long time the path looked simple. Even when the 2008 crisis hit, the standard advice was to find a seat in some large MNC and wait for the storm to pass. That logic is fraying. Technology and globalisation are reshaping how money is distributed — quietly, but in real time.

If you are an analyst or middle manager in a big company with six to eight years of experience, you probably still earn a comparatively strong salary and package next to peers in smaller firms or at subcontractors. Look outside for a moment, though. Do entry salaries for roles like yours keep falling for new applicants? Can you really compete forever with young graduates who have two years of experience, excellent academic records, and a willingness to work hard — often for a fraction of what you once earned at the start? And ask yourself honestly: when will a truly serious promotion arrive? Those rungs are scarce now. Should you stay where you are?

The short answer is no. Too much is happening beyond the MNC bubble while you sit in the same chair day after day. Corporate routine disconnects you from reality. Have you stopped to ask whether process simplification could erase your role? Whether tasks you own might become unnecessary or automated? In my own case, simplification and automation are already obvious; my profession has an expiry date, even if that still sounds impossible from the inside. I do not want to wait until the wave hits. When change reaches an industry fully, it is often so fast and deep that a single employee can barely steer through it.

The future belongs more to entrepreneurs and freelancers. It will not mainly reward credentials or years of tenure; it will reward people who create a product or service others will pay for — not for their time, but for their product. That future will be demanding and interesting. We will have to stay current, chase quality, and innovate continuously. Creation becomes a permanent process that, at its best, benefits society as a whole.

I do not know how long the transition will take, but it will happen. Humans are not good at pre-programmed tasks compared with computers — whether the work is repetitive factory labour or medical diagnostics. Where there is a fixed process algorithm, people lose to machines. Where the work is creative, no robot yet outperforms us. Some argue that only education and entertainment will fully survive total automation. So: should you stay where you are — or is it time to prepare an exit?