#012 - What Do You Prioritize? What Is The Market Eliminating? What Will Grow?

In February 2014, Satya Nadella took over Microsoft with a stagnant company and a culture that rewarded internal competition instead of growth. He arrived with a book under his arm, eliminated the system that was destroying collaboration, and declared that the company needed to become something different. In 2026, Microsoft is worth more than 3 trillion dollars. What he changed was not the product — it was what the organization prioritized. And that shift came with a real cost before it produced a result.In April 2026, three independent sources reached the same diagnosis through different paths. What professionals prioritize has changed — and most companies have not noticed. The market is eliminating roles in the middle of record profits — and the criteria is not performance. And there are roles growing in the middle of this turbulence — but not for the reasons most people think.What you will learn in this episode:The Randstad Workmonitor 2026 surveyed 26,000 workers across 35 countries and recorded something that had not happened in 22 years: work-life balance overtook salary as the top priority for professionals globally. The margin was one percentage point — but 22 years of history make that one point significant. Almost half of respondents said they had already taken concrete action to get better working conditions, not just wished for them. When the decision criteria changes and you keep answering the old question, you invest correctly in the wrong place.In 2026 alone, more than 92,000 tech professionals have been laid off — a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, according to Layoffs.fyi and Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Oracle cut between 20,000 and 30,000 people in the same quarter it reported 6 billion dollars in net profit. Meta, Nike, Snap — all profitable, all cutting. The pattern is the same: capital reallocation toward AI infrastructure. That changes what actually protects a career. Individual performance still matters — but it does not protect against a capital allocation decision made at board level.The World Economic Forum projects 25 million new roles in project management by 2030 — placing this category among the highest net job growth in the world. At the same time, it lists the skills most valued by employers globally: analytical thinking, resilience, leadership, and social influence. AI automates execution — but it does not automate judgment about what should be executed. The most valuable professional is not the one who knows how to use AI — it is the one who knows what to ask it to do, and why.Verified sources: Randstad Workmonitor 2026 — randstad.com/workmonitor · CNBC and Challenger, Gray & Christmas, April 2026 · Layoffs.fyi · CIO Dive, April 2026 · WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 — weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025 · Coursera Project Management Trends, December 2025Meller Notes is here, curating content on career, leadership, and management for your personal and professional development.Thank you for watching!