Six predictions for 2026

We’re officially into 2026 – and the year is already shaping up to be an interesting one.

With that in mind, here are my 6 predictions for what we’re likely to see across technology, hiring, and AI over the next 12 months:

1. The CV finally starts getting disrupted

Not just in theory, podcasts, or endless LinkedIn think pieces, but someone actually builds a genuinely workable alternative that hiring teams can use at scale. I don’t know what that looks like yet but if I did, I’d be betting on myself becoming a very rich man.

2. The gap between the “AI shovel sellers” and everyone else widens

The Mag 7 (including the infrastructure layer beneath them) continue to compound profit and growth at a pace practically all other companies simply can’t match. By the end of 2026, I think we see an even bigger chasm. Canyon-like levels. Great for shareholders. Less great for almost everyone else.

3. Redundancies keep coming, but it becomes increasingly obvious they’re driven by profit pressure

Publicly, we’ll hear “AI” blamed again and again for job losses. Privately, the reality will more often be slower growth, margin compression, and shareholder expectations reset by #2. The gap between those two stories will get increasingly hard to ignore. If it truly is AI, we’re all going to expect to see exactly where and how the work has disappeared. The receipts will start to matter.

4. (At least) one major company will bet too hard on AI replacing human work

A leadership team will go too far, too fast and too publicly. The operational quality / service level will drop dramatically; customer experience will go through the floor and the same execs who pushed hardest for mass automation, will find themselves quietly shown the door.

5. Elon makes more money

Not really a prediction, but I wanted to at least be 100% on one.

6. AI becomes a true political battleground

We’re overdue on this. By the end of 2026, when AI increasingly affects day-to-day life for practically all of us, it becomes a full-blown political weapon. Expect it to sit front and centre in debates as a core voting driver. It’ll be included in all the headlines: Jobs. National security. Misinformation. Sovereignty. Education. Mental health. All with “+ AI” attached.

The takeaway

As I read these back, most of them don’t really feel very dramatic. They are nearly all increasingly obvious situations we’re going to find ourselves in.

My takeaway for 2026 is simple: it’s going to be even wilder in technology than 2025, with stories much bigger than I’ve laid out here.

But for now, I wonder what odds I can get on Polymarket for these takes.. 📊