NVIDIA, AI Jobs & Stock Market Chaos - What Comes Next?
The Hidden Hiring Trends No One’s Talking About
TLDR: J/K - Read it all.
If you’re looking for layoff-proof career moves in AI, you’d better pay attention.
Everyone’s hyped about NVIDIA’s earnings today, but if you actually follow hiring trends, a different picture starts forming. I know - not many are labor market nerds like me… but I do everything based on hiring trends. The hiring numbers don’t lie.
I have helped 50+ get hired at Nvidia over the last several years, so I know their hiring process and thoughts pretty damn well.
NVIDIA is still the king of AI chips, AMD is playing the long game.
So, if you’re thinking about career moves in tech, AI, or semiconductors, or even thinking about where to place your bets, here’s what you need to know.
Don’t miss this deep dive into NVIDIA and Hiring Insights by Amanda Goodall, The Job Chick
The AI Beast with a Hiring Binge That’s Looks Risky
Ok- so here is what I am finding interesting ya’ll….
• NVIDIA has been on a hiring spree, adding tons of engineers recently.
• They have aggressively expanded R&D hiring in 2024, especially in AI-focused chip development. I mean, they have to, right?
CES Nvidia Keynote Jan 6th - I had a pretty damn good seat too - I sat next to the Nvidia Fidelity Portfolio Managers.
Zoom back 30,000 feet and look what we have here:
• NVIDIA increased headcount in 2024 - yes, about a 9 % workforce expansion, while other chipmakers slowed hiring. I know, big promises = more hires.
• Their AI team grew: a 129+ % increase in five years.
• Hiring has outpaced AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm combined in the last 12 months.
Executive Stock Sales That Make You go Hmmmmmmmmmmm
• Board member Tench Coxe sold 2 million shares - over $250 million in NVIDIA stock.
• CFO Colette Kress dumped $8.95 million worth of stock.
• Other executives are offloading while the stock is still high.
That’s not how confident companies act.
In fact….
In the last year, Nvidia, $NVDA, insiders have only sold. They have sold up to $1,602,674,927.72 in stock. There have been zero buys. - Unusual Whales, X
So, From The Job Chick POV - What’s Coming for NVIDIA?
Hiring Freeze - There is no way they can sustain this hiring pace unless AI demand stays on fire and even then, it’s still a bit off. They hired that many people, yet delivery and production are still slow. If their AI chip growth slows even slightly, expect hiring to stop cold by Q3 2025.
Layoffs? Not Yet, But Late 2025 Is a Risk - I know, they are not one to do layoffs. This could look a whole lot like attrition, or due to the freeze, morale, you name it. Closer to time I will know more, but for now, am I thinking layoffs could happen- YEAH. If AI demand dips, they could cut roles in support functions first and cut R&D roles that aren’t tied to immediate revenue.
Geopolitical Trouble? NVIDIA relies heavily on Taiwan (TSMC) for manufacturing. If anything happens with China/Taiwan, their hiring and growth could get crushed overnight. Keeping all eyes on that.
Oh and this dropped 2/25/2025aa:
The AI Market Shift: Right now, over 92 percent of AI data centers rely on NVIDIA’s GPUs. But AI labs like OpenAI and Meta are actively developing alternative hardware, meaning NVIDIA’s stranglehold on AI could weaken in 2025-2026. It’s a massive death match going on right now.
Rumored Shift to Software? NVIDIA is reportedly building its own “AI cloud,” renting out servers powered by its chips and hosting its AI software development platform. However, transitioning to a service-based model could introduce new challenges and uncertainties, which is darn concerning to job security and hiring trends.
So that leaves me to look at AMD. I know, nobody really likes talking about them these days. Their stock isn’t skyrocketing and well, they are kind of second fiddle. BUT… hear me out.
Yes, AMD just cut 4 percent of its workforce (1,120 jobs). But here’s the difference:
• They’re not just hiring for the sake of hiring.
• They’re restructuring to ramp up MI350 AI chips to go head-to-head with NVIDIA.
• They’re selectively hiring AI talent while trimming inefficiencies elsewhere.
By the Numbers
AMD’s AI team grew in early 2025.
Their hiring cycles are controlled, expansion in Q3/Q4, slowing in Q1/Q2.
And let’s be real ya’ll, companies that optimize early don’t get caught in mass layoffs later. Well, not as bad anyways.
What’s Coming for AMD?
They’ll expand AI Hiring in Q3/Q4 2025: AMD always scales hiring up in the fall months. If they gain ground on AI chips, expect an AI hiring boom late this year.
They’re gaining AI market share: If NVIDIA slips at all, AMD is in the best position to scoop up top AI talent and become the challenger.
NVIDIA is hiring hard, but they’re not leading AI talent acquisition. Yeah, I said it. They’re still behind the hiring cycles of major tech firms and AI engineers are flowing toward OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Meta instead of committing to NVIDIA long-term.
I’ve seen a massive drop off since they became the most coveted company to work for last year for all my TECH peeps. But Nvidia is desperate to maintain dominance, which is why they’re onboarding at scale.
AMD, on the other hand, is playing it smarter.
They cut excess workforce in Q1 2025 before problems emerge. They always scale hiring up in Q3 and Q4, it’s a cyclical pattern and very interesting.
Biggest hiring months: September–December. (yeah take note of that to all of you that don’t want to apply during the holidays….)
Biggest slowdowns: January–April.
If you’re looking for job security, avoid companies that are hiring too fast, they’re usually first in line to cut jobs when things go south.
My Call: AMD Is the Smarter Long-Term Bet.
Hiring trends don’t lie.
Who’s hiring, when, and why matters.
NVIDIA looks strong now. But…..
AMD made the hard cuts early. They’re moving smarter.
And if you’re planning your next career step in AI, semiconductors, or high-performance computing, don’t just chase the biggest name - chase the smartest employer. Not sure who it is - We should talk.
Catch ya on the insider-flipside!
Amanda Goodall
Here’s what I’m watching for in the next few months.
• Will NVIDIA Keep Expanding Its AI Workforce or Pull Back?
• Is NVIDIA’s Software Pivot a Real Play or a Backup Plan?
• Can AMD Poach Top AI Talent?