Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Saturday, September 5, 2026
The Trade Desk Cuts 15% of Workforce Amid Ad-Tech Slowdown
The Trade Desk is eliminating approximately 585 roles — 15% of its global workforce of roughly 3,900 — CEO Jeff Green announced to staff on Thursday. Green framed the move as a means to move with greater agility, focus, ownership, and speed, and said it would allow the company to reinvest in delivering even better outcomes for our clients. The company expects to incur $39 million to $51 million in restructuring charges, with changes substantially completed in Q3 2026. The layoffs follow a Q2 earnings miss in which revenue of $715 million fell short of the $751 million analyst consensus, sending the stock down more than 24% after earnings.
August Hiring Surges to 162,000 — Three Times What Forecasters Expected
The U.S. labor market added 162,000 jobs in August — the biggest monthly gain since March and more than triple the 53,000 economists forecast — as hiring expanded across restaurants, manufacturing, and government education. Upward revisions to June and July added a combined 55,000 more than previously reported, flipping July from a loss of 23,000 into a gain of 21,000. The unemployment rate held at 4.1%, and roughly 700,000 people entered the labor force last month, with most finding work. Glassdoor chief economist Daniel Zhao said August turned the heat back up on the job market, though he cautioned that month-to-month swings make the underlying trend tough to read.
Wage Growth Lags Inflation Despite the Payroll Rebound
Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 10 cents to $37.75 in August, an annualized gain of 3.1 percent — a pace that continues to trail inflation, keeping real wages compressed across the economy. The average workweek edged up 0.1 hour to 34.4 hours, a sign that employers are extending schedules alongside new hiring. The number of people working part time for economic reasons fell sharply, dropping 414,000 to 4.4 million — suggesting employers are offering fuller hours to underemployed workers rather than only adding headcount. Labor force participation rose to 61.6%, though that remains below January levels by half a percentage point.
Sources: Tech Times
AI Displacement Accelerates in Tech: Information Sector Sheds 23,000 Jobs in August
The information sector — which includes computing infrastructure, data processing, web hosting, and publishing — shed 23,000 jobs in August, nearly triple its 12-month rolling average of 8,000 per month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data analyzed by Tech Times. The sector has now lost 115,000 jobs over the past year. The acceleration coincides with high AI deployment: Census Bureau data shows 39.7 percent of information-sector firms use AI, versus a 19.8 percent national average. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas reports AI has led stated layoff reasons for four consecutive months in 2026, with more than 102,000 announced cuts attributed to the technology.
Sources: Tech Times
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