Analyzing the Results of Jit’s Developer Survey Even in companies with large, dedicated security teams, a successful AppSec program begins and ends with developers. Dev teams face many hurdles in their quest to write secure code and resolve code security issues, including complex app architectures, a lack of time and training, and an organization that prioritizes release speed over security. To uncover these pain points and learn how companies can better support dev teams, Jit conducted a survey of 150 developers across industries and company sizes to ask what developers think about AppSec in 2025. Let’s dive into the results. Overcoming the Biggest AppSec Challenges When asked to rank the biggest code security challenges, developers selected the complexity of modern app architecture as their top choice. They defined complexity in a variety of ways, including understanding the security nuances of many different services and technologies, managing the security of many different integrated services, and mitigating known vulnerabilities within interconnected dependency chains. These complexities are more difficult for developers to overcome due to a lack of knowledge, training, and guidelines, a lack of organizational priority, and a lack of time, the next three top-ranked challenges. One way to help reduce complexity is by utilizing an automated security testing platform that unifies all the different scanners needed for AppSec in one place. For example, Jit combines 10 out-of-the-box scanners along with custom tests in a single platform. It works across all major programming languages and cloud infrastructures to reduce integration headaches. Jit also uses the runtime context of detected security issues to triage and prioritize each risk, providing simplified dashboards where developers can easily view and mitigate vulnerabilities. Jit even provides automated fix suggestions so developers can quickly resolve issues with one click, even without specialized security training. Automated Tools to Help Developers Secure Their Code When asked what they believe are the most impactful strategies to secure their code, developers ranked automated testing (SAST, SCA, Secrets detection) in the CI/CD pipeline or IDE at the top by a clear margin. Developers were also asked how their company supports them in building secure applications, and the top answer was implemented security scanners. These results indicate that most developers already have automated security tooling in place and find these solutions more helpful than manual code reviews, security awareness programs, and other measures that take up precious time. Automated scanners don’t just save time; they also frequently catch issues that human reviewers might miss. However, automated scanners can create additional complexity if not properly integrated into the CI/CD pipeline or development environment. Many solutions are also known for generating a large number of false positives that developers have to sort through to prioritize the real risks. In addition to providing seamless integrations with development and security tools, Jit’s automated testing platform helps reduce complexity with Contextual Prioritization. This feature prioritizes code and cloud security issues based on their runtime and business context, providing automated risk scoring to help developers separate the signal from the noise and reduce false positives. How Dev Teams Overcome Knowledge Gaps Developers usually aren’t security experts, so it’s important to understand where they go to answer code security questions. Interestingly, many developers turn to outside sources, including online documentation from vendors and trade publications as well as forums, blogs, and communities like Stack Overflow and Reddit. These sources don’t appear to be enough to help dev teams overcome code security knowledge gaps based on the answers to the following question: Only 7% of participants strongly agree that they can consistently and independently deliver secure code, indicating a need for better tooling and resources. For example, Jit’s platform provides a simplified developer UX that integrates the entire code security scanning and remediation process into the dev environment. It provides automatic feedback on the security of every code change and offers automatic remediation, making it easy for developers to proactively and independently secure their code. Getting Developers More Involved in Security When asked how frequently they’re involved in application security-related activities during the development lifecycle, such as security reviews, issue resolution, and threat modeling, a whopping 62% of participants responded with a few times a year or never. While initially surprising, this result makes sense when compared to question number one – with a lack of time, training, and organizational prioritization, it’s no wonder that developers aren’t more involved. Participants specifically noted that security is frequently deprioritized in favor of feature delivery. Developers were asked to describe the collaboration between their company’s development and security teams, and most reported moderately positively. Only 8% of participants described their collaboration as excellent and without need for improvement. A lack of involvement and only moderate collaboration become more alarming in relation to the results of the next question. When asked how strongly they agree or disagree with the following statement: “I have full visibility into the security of my services and the most critical security vulnerabilities that need to be resolved,” 47% of developers did not agree to some extent. What’s needed is a platform like Jit that puts AppSec into the hands of developers without adding friction to their workloads. Jit’s dev-native UX, automated remediation, and simplified dashboards give developers full visibility and control over code security while meeting accelerated delivery schedules. Improving the Security Culture Within Dev Teams The results of the previous questions all highlight a lack of security culture within development teams, and when asked directly to describe the security culture, developers agreed. 61% of participants responded that security is only “somewhat important” or not a priority at all in their culture, and AppSec wasn’t integrated into their routines. There was a correlation between a stronger security culture and developer confidence in their ability to deliver secure code, showing how important it is for organizations to balance priorities between security and delivery. Jit’s unified testing platform and dev-friendly UX help organizations implement an automated and practical AppSec program that is simpler for developers to adopt. It’s easy integrations and one-click

This is why modernization is the ideal time to remove redundant, obsolete or trivial data — otherwise known as ROT. This includes, for example, duplicate records, data that is improperly encoded, and data with missing values. 2. Adopt the right migration approach There are multiple ways to switch over from a legacy environment to a more modern one. The fastest but riskiest is the big bang approach, in which you move everything at once. An alternative is phased migration, where you migrate workloads incrementally; this reduces risk, with the tradeoff that it can take longer. A third option, parallel run, involves deploying two complete copies of your applications at the same time — one hosted on the legacy platform and the other in the modern one — and spinning down the legacy workloads only after you’ve confirmed that their replacements are fully up and running properly. This approach minimizes risk, but it’s more complex and costly because it requires running two environments in parallel. source

Most say arrests of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed at protests or in homes, but not at places of worship or schools How we did this Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand the American public’s views of immigration enforcement policies and the personal impact they have on U.S. adults. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,123 adults from Feb. 24 to March 2, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors. Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this report, the topline and the survey methodology. Terminology The terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably in this report. Immigrant refers to people born outside of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. U.S. born refers to people born in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. As the new Trump administration begins to carry out immigration enforcement, Americans largely agree that at least some immigrants living in the United States illegally should be deported, in particular those who have committed violent crimes. However, less consensus exists on how the government should carry out deportations. Roughly one-third of U.S. adults (32%) say all immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported, while 16% say none should be deported. About half (51%) say at least some should face deportation. U.S. adults who say some immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported have varying views of who should be removed. Nearly all (97%) support deporting those who have committed violent crimes. Those who favor some deportations are more evenly divided when it comes to deporting those who have committed nonviolent crimes (52%) or have arrived in the U.S. during the past four years (44%). By contrast, far fewer say those with family ties in the U.S. should be deported, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 24 to March 2, 2025. When it comes to law enforcement, the public has mixed views on where officers should and should not be allowed to arrest immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Majorities of U.S. adults say immigration arrests should not take place in: Places of worship (65%) Schools (63%) Hospitals (61%) By contrast, majorities say arrests of immigrants in the U.S. illegally should be allowed in the following places: Protests or rallies (66%) Homes (63%) Workplaces (54%) Jump to Chapter 1 to read more on how different groups of Americans view deportations and where immigration arrests are acceptable. Donald Trump signed several executive orders related to immigration after becoming president on Jan. 20. By the end of February, apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border had dropped to historically low levels, while deportations trailed those of the Biden administration. In March, after the survey was conducted, Trump used the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport hundreds of immigrants that his administration said were gang members living in the country illegally. The rarely used act allows the government, if at war, to deport immigrants without allowing them to go before a judge. During the pandemic, migration to the U.S. stalled because governments around the world restricted travel. Since 2021, U.S. Border Patrol has recorded millions of encounters with migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico without authorization, with many seeking asylum. These encounters peaked in 2023 and dropped sharply in 2024. As of 2022, an estimated 11 million immigrants lived in the U.S. without authorization. This group includes those who do not have a green card or other lawful temporary residence visa or are not naturalized U.S. citizens. It also includes an estimated 1.2 million immigrants enrolled in Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) who are temporarily protected from deportation and have a permit to work. About 772,000 immigrants have received temporary protection through parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV) and Ukrainians since 2022. However, the president can revoke these temporary protections. In late March, the Trump administration announced it will remove this deportation protection for the approximately 532,000 CHNV parolees. Personal impact of deportations, immigration enforcement Some U.S. adults express concern that they will be personally affected by the government’s immigration enforcement. About one-in-five U.S. adults (19%) say they worry a lot or somewhat that they, a family member or close friend could be deported. And 5% of adults say they are extremely or very worried they will be asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status during their regular day-to-day activities, while 8% say they are somewhat worried. Notably, 42% of Hispanic adults say they are worried that they or someone close to them might be deported. And 30% of immigrants say they worry that they might be asked for proof of their U.S. citizenship or immigration status. Fewer adults also say that in the month prior to taking the survey, they made changes to their day-to-day lives due to worry over being questioned about their U.S. citizenship or immigration status. 4% say they began to carry a document that proves their U.S. citizenship or immigration status (such as a passport, birth certificate, certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate) during their daily activities. 2% say they made changes in their daily schedule or routine due to worrying they might be asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status. And 2% say they have avoided using public services (such as health care and law enforcement services) due to this worry. Jump to Chapter 2 to read more about

Image: sun_mio/Envato Elements AI-powered apps are outperforming several legacy categories and see revenue per install above 63 cents after 30 days, matching health & fitness apps at the same rate, according to RevenueCat’s State of Subscription Apps 2025 of over 75,000 apps on its platform. “Users are willing to pay more for meaningful AI-driven experiences — but simply adding AI isn’t enough,” said Jacob Eiting, chief executive officer of RevenueCat. Developers must build something that is “unique and sticky,” he said. The report examined data from 2024 and found that “subscriptions alone don’t cut it any longer,” and 35% of apps now mix subscriptions with consumables or lifetime purchases, a trend that is growing, Eiting wrote separately in a blog post. “Hybrid monetization models are a strong way to capture more revenue without losing the benefits of subscriptions,’’ Eiting said, noting that gaming (nearly 62%) and social & lifestyle (39%) are “leading the way.” One of the main findings is that most apps fail to garner $1,000 in monthly revenue within their first two years. The median number of days to reach $1,000 is 60, according to the report. Must-read developer coverage A widening revenue gap between top apps and the rest The top 5% of newly launched apps make $8,880 in earnings – over 400x as much revenue after two years as the bottom 25%, which make no more than $19, according to the report. “This gap has widened dramatically since last year’s 200x difference, proving that the best apps optimize pricing, iterate fast, and retain users better,’’ the report said. Top app categories users download to trial The report shows that health and fitness including medical apps are most often purchased for trial (24%), followed by utilities including weather, reference, and finance at 23%, education (21%) and photo & video (20.5%). Cancellations within one month Nearly 30% of annual subscriptions are canceled in the first month, according to the report. “If you don’t win them back over, at the end of that first year, they’re gone,’’ Eiting said. “The most successful apps engage early and continuously deliver value, giving users reasons to stick around long enough to renew.” Monthly vs. annual plans Monthly subscriptions drive the highest reactivation rates, likely due to lower commitment barriers, the report said, followed by weekly plans at nine percent, while yearly plans “struggle.” In terms of categories, photo & video and productivity lead in monthly reactivations, while gaming underperforms, and the report speculates that this may be due to player fatigue. Shopping also struggles, possibly because of limited recurring engagement, the report said. Media & entertainment and photo & video show the strongest reactivations as both benefit from continuous content refreshes, the report said. source

This shift towards cloud-based ERP solutions is evident even in the US. A report by the Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG) highlights that private cloud environments are the leading choice for those running SAP S/4HANA, with 42% of respondents either already using a private cloud or planning to within the next two years. “The momentum towards cloud-based ERP solutions is evident, driven by enterprise-wide digital transformation strategies and the need for scalable IT infrastructure,” Hungershausen noted. “Larger companies, in particular, are leading the charge as they leverage cloud solutions to modernize their operations.” Growing confidence in RISE with SAP SAP’s RISE with SAP program, designed to facilitate cloud migration, has gained considerable traction. This year, according to the study, which was conducted between January and February 2025, 48% of respondents are either using or planning to use RISE with SAP, compared to just 16% in 2024. Moreover, companies expressing no plans to adopt RISE with SAP have dropped from 61% last year to 23%. source

This chapter explores whether U.S. adults worry about being asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status during their daily routine and if they believe deportations of immigrants living in the United States illegally will make their lives better or worse. Do people worry they or someone close to them might be deported? About one-in-five U.S. adults (19%) say they worry a lot or some that they, a family member or a friend could be deported. By nativity One-in-three immigrants in the country worry they or someone close to them could be deported. By comparison, 16% of U.S.-born adults share this worry. By race and ethnicity 42% of Latinos say they worry they or someone close to them might be deported. By contrast, 19% of Black and Asian adults and 12% of White adults say they worry they, a family member or close friend might be deported. By age About one-in-four adults ages 18 to 29 (25%) and ages 30 to 49 (24%) say they worry they or someone close to them could be deported. Fewer ages 50 to 64 (14%) or 65 and older (11%) share this worry. By political party 27% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents worry they or someone close them might be deported. A lower share of Republicans and Republican leaners (10%) say the same. Do people worry about being asked to prove their citizenship or immigration status during their daily routine? Some 13% of U.S. adults say they are at least somewhat worried about being asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status during their day-to-day activities, including 5% who say they are extremely or very worried. By nativity 30% of U.S. immigrants say they are worried about being asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status during their daily activities, higher than the share among U.S.-born adults (9%).  By race and ethnicity 31% of U.S. Latinos say they worry about being asked to prove their citizenship or immigration status in the country, while 24% of Asian adults and 20% of Black adults say the same. By contrast, 5% of White adults share this worry.  By age 19% of adults ages 18 to 29 worry about being asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status during their regular activities. Fewer adults 65 and older (6%) share this worry. By political party 19% of Democrats say they worry at least somewhat about being asked to prove their U.S. citizenship or immigration status during their daily routine. By comparison, 7% of Republicans share this worry. Have people made recent changes in their lives due to worry they will be asked about their citizenship or immigration status? Some U.S. adults say that in the month prior to taking the survey, they made changes in their day-to-day lives due to worry of being asked about their U.S. citizenship or immigration status. 4% say they began to carry a document that proves their U.S. citizenship or immigration status (such as a passport, birth certificate, certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate) during their daily activities. 2% made changes in their daily schedule or routine. In addition, some groups are more likely than U.S. adults overall to say they began to carry a document that proves their U.S. citizenship or immigration status. Latinos (12%) are more likely than White (1%), Black (4%) or Asian (7%) adults to say they recently started carrying a document that proves their status in the country. Immigrants (12%) are more likely than those who are U.S. born (2%) to say they recently began to carry such documents. Do people believe deportations will impact prices in their communities? When asked about the potential effects deportations of immigrants in the country illegally might have on prices in their local area, 42% of U.S. adults say it will lead to a rise in food prices, while 23% say it will have no effect and 23% are not sure. Lower shares say deportations will increase prices of other things in their area. 26% of U.S. adults say consumer goods prices will increase in their area, while 33% say deportations will have no effect. 19% say housing prices will increase due to deportations, whereas 31% say they will have no effect and 22% say housing prices in their local area will fall due to deportations. 13% say health care prices will increase in their area. By contrast, 32% say deportations will have no effect on these prices and 25% say prices will decrease. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say local prices will increase in all these sectors due to deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. For example, most Democrats (64%) say food prices will increase due to deportations, while 19% of Republicans say the same.  Immigrants living in the country illegally make up about 4.8% of the U.S. workforce and account for a larger share of workers in the agriculture, construction and service sectors. Other research has shown that deporting workers in these sectors has the potential to drive up food prices. Do U.S. adults believe deportations will have a positive or negative impact in their lives? About as many U.S. adults say deportations of immigrants living in the country illegally will make their lives better (29%) as say they will make their lives worse (27%). More (43%) say deportations will make no difference in their lives.  Still, differences in the shares who say deportations will make life better or worse do emerge among some groups.  By race and ethnicity 37% of Hispanic adults say deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally will make their lives worse.  By comparison, lower shares of White (24%), Black (25%) and Asian (28%) adults say the same. By age 35% of those ages 18 to 29 say deportations will make their lives worse. By contrast, 20% of those 50 and older say deportations will make their lives worse. By political party  43% of Democrats say deportations will make their lives worse and 9% say they will make their

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Over the weekend, Chinese web search giant Baidu announced the launch of two new AI models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1, a multimodal language model and reasoning model, respectively. Baidu claims they offer state-of-the-art performance on a variety of metrics, besting DeepSeek’s non-reasoning V3 and OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 (how do you like the close name match Baidu chose as well?) on several third-party benchmark tests such as the C-Eval (assessing Chinese LLM performance on knowledge and reasoning across 52 subjects), CMMLU (massive multitask language understanding in Chinese), and GSM8K (math word problems). It also claims to undercut the cost of both fellow Chinese wunderkind’s DeepSeek’s R1 reasoning model with ERNIE X1 by 50% and US AI juggernaut OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 with ERNIE 4.5 by 99%, respectively. Yet both have some important limitations, including a lack of open source licensing in the former case (which DeepSeek R1 offers) and a far reduced context compared to the latter (8,000 tokens instead of 128,000, frankly an astonishingly low amount in this age of million-token-plus context windows. Tokens are how a large AI model represents information, with more meaning more information. A 128,000-token window is akin to a 250-page novel). As X user @claudeglass noted in a post, the small context window makes it perhaps only suitable for customer service chatbots. Baidu posted on X that it did plan to make the ERNIE 4.5 model family open source on June 30th, 2025. Baidu has enabled access to the models through its application programming interface (API) and Chinese-language chatbot rival to ChatGPT, known as “ERNIE Bot” — it answers questions, generates text, produces creative writing, and interacts conversationally with users — and made ERNIE Bot free to access. ERNIE 4.5: A new generation of multimodal AI ERNIE 4.5 is Baidu’s latest foundation model, designed as a native multimodal system capable of processing and understanding text, images, audio, and video, and is a clear competitor to OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 model released back in February 2025. The model has been optimized for better comprehension, generation, reasoning, and memory. Enhancements include improved hallucination prevention, logical reasoning, and coding capabilities. According to Baidu, ERNIE 4.5 outperforms GPT-4.5 in multiple benchmarks while maintaining a significantly lower cost. The model’s advancements stem from several key technologies, including FlashMask Dynamic Attention Masking, Heterogeneous Multimodal Mixture-of-Experts, and Self-feedback Enhanced Post-Training. ERNIE X1 introduces advanced deep-thinking reasoning capabilities, emphasizing understanding, planning, reflection, and evolution. Unlike standard multimodal AI models, ERNIE X1 is specifically designed for complex reasoning and tool use, enabling it to perform tasks such as advanced search, document-based Q&A, AI-generated image interpretation, code execution, and web page analysis. The model supports a range of tools, including Baidu’s academic search, business information search, and franchise research tools. Its development is based on Progressive Reinforcement Learning, End-to-End Training integrating Chains of Thought and Action, and a Unified Multi-Faceted Reward System. Access and API availability Users can now access both ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 via the official ERNIE Bot website. For enterprise users and developers, ERNIE 4.5 is now available through Baidu AI Cloud’s Qianfan platform via API access. ERNIE X1 is expected to be available soon. Pricing for API Access: ERNIE 4.5: Input: $0.55 USD per 1 million tokens Output: $2.2 per 1M tokens ERNIE X1: Input: $0.28 per 1M tokens Output: $1.1 per 1M tokens Compare that to: DeepSeek R1 Input: $0.55 per 1M tokens Output: $2.19 per 1M tokens Baidu has also announced plans to integrate ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 into its broader ecosystem, including Baidu Search and the Wenxiaoyan app. Considerations for enterprise decision-makers For CIOs, CTOs, IT leaders, and DevOps teams, the launch of ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1 presents both opportunities and considerations: Performance vs. Cost – With pricing significantly lower than competing models, organizations evaluating AI solutions may see cost savings by integrating ERNIE models via API. However, further benchmarking and real-world testing may be necessary to assess performance for specific business applications. Multimodal and Reasoning Capabilities – The ability to process and understand text, images, audio, and video could be valuable for businesses in industries such as customer support, content generation, legal tech, and finance. Tool Integration – ERNIE X1’s ability to work with tools like advanced search, document-based Q&A, and code interpretation could provide automation and efficiency gains in enterprise environments. Ecosystem and Localization – As Baidu’s AI models are optimized for Chinese-language processing and regional knowledge, enterprises working in China or targeting Chinese-speaking markets may find ERNIE models more effective than global alternatives. Licensing and Data Privacy – While Baidu has indicated that GPT-4.5 will be made open source later this summer, June 30, 2025, that’s still three months away, so enterprises should at least wait until that time to assess whether it’s worth deploying locally or on US-hosted cloud services. Enterprise users should review Baidu’s policies regarding data privacy, compliance, and model usage before integrating these AI solutions. AI expansion and future outlook As AI development accelerates in 2025, Baidu is positioning itself as a leader in multimodal and reasoning-based AI technologies. The company plans to continue investing in artificial intelligence, data centers, and cloud infrastructure to enhance the capabilities of its foundation models. By offering a combination of powerful performance and lower costs, Baidu’s latest AI models aim to provide businesses and individual users with more accessible and advanced AI tools. For more details, visit ERNIE Bot’s official website. source

By Jade Martinez-Pogue ( March 26, 2025, 6:55 PM GMT) — Private equity giant Bain Capital on Wednesday announced that it has agreed to take a majority stake in Italian software-as-a-service company Namirial in a $1.2 billion deal built by at least five law firms…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than 60 topics, industries, practice areas and jurisdictions. A Law360 subscription includes features such as Daily newsletters Expert analysis Mobile app Advanced search Judge information Real-time alerts 450K+ searchable archived articles And more! Experience Law360 today with a free 7-day trial. source

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Whether by automating tasks, serving as copilots or generating text, images, video and software from plain English, AI is rapidly altering how we work. Yet, for all the talk about AI revolutionizing jobs, widespread workforce displacement has yet to happen.  It seems likely that this could be the lull before the storm. According to a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) survey, 40% of employers anticipate reducing their workforce between 2025 and 2030 in areas wherever AI can automate tasks. This statistic dovetails well with earlier predictions. For example, Goldman Sachs said in a research report two years ago that “generative AI could expose the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs to automation leading to “significant disruption” in the labor market.  According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “almost 40% of global employment is exposed to AI.” Brookings said last fall in another report that “more than 30% of all workers could see at least 50% of their occupation’s tasks disrupted by gen AI.” Several years ago, Kai-Fu Lee, one of the world’s foremost AI experts, said in a 60 Minutes interview that AI could displace 40% of global jobs within 15 years. If AI is such a disruptive force, why aren’t we seeing large layoffs? Some have questioned those predictions, especially as job displacement from AI so far appears negligible. For example, an October 2024 Challenger Report that tracks job cuts said that in the 17 months between May 2023 and September 2024, fewer than 17,000 jobs in the U.S. had been lost due to AI.   On the surface, this contradicts the dire warnings. But does it? Or does it suggest that we are still in a gradual phase before a possible sudden shift? History shows that technology-driven change does not always happen in a steady, linear fashion. Rather, it builds up over time until a sudden shift reshapes the landscape. In a recent Hidden Brain podcast on inflection points, researcher Rita McGrath of Columbia University referenced Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. When one character was asked how they went bankrupt, they answered: “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” This could be an allegory for the impact of AI on jobs. This pattern of change — slow and nearly imperceptible at first, then suddenly undeniable — has been experienced across business, technology and society. Malcolm Gladwell calls this a “tipping point,” or the moment when a trend reaches critical mass, then dramatically accelerates.  In cybernetics — the study of complex natural and social systems — a tipping point can occur when recent technology becomes so widespread that it fundamentally changes the way people live and work. In such scenarios, the change becomes self-reinforcing. This often happens when innovation and economic incentives align, making change inevitable. Gradually, then suddenly While employment impacts from AI are (so far) nascent, that is not true of AI adoption. In a new survey by McKinsey, 78% of respondents said their organizations use AI in at least one business function, up more than 40% from 2023. Other research found that 74% of enterprise C-suite executives are now more confident in AI for business advice than colleagues or friends. The research also revealed that 38% trust AI to make business decisions for them, while 44% defer to AI reasoning over their own insights.  It is not only business executives who are increasing their use of AI tools. A new chart from the investment firm Evercore depicts increased use among all age groups over the last 9 months, regardless of application.  Source: Business Insider This data reveals both broad and growing adoption of AI tools. However, true enterprise AI integration remains in its infancy — just 1% of executives describe their gen AI rollouts as mature, according to another McKinsey survey. This suggests that while AI adoption is surging, companies have yet to fully integrate it into core operations in a way that might displace jobs at scale. But that could change quickly. If economic pressures intensify, businesses may not have the luxury of gradual AI adoption and may feel the need to automate fast. Canary in the coal mine One of the first job categories likely to be hit by AI is software development. Numerous AI tools based on large language models (LLMs) exist to augment programming, and soon the function could be entirely automated. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said recently on Reddit that “we’re 3 to 6 months from a world where AI is writing 90% of the code. And then in 12 months, we may be in a world where AI is writing essentially all of the code.” Source: Reddit This trend is becoming clear, as evidenced by startups in the winter 2025 cohort of incubator Y Combinator. Managing partner Jared Friedman said that 25% of this startup batch have 95% of their codebases generated by AI. He added: “A year ago, [the companies] would have built their product from scratch — but now 95% of it is built by an AI.”  The LLMs underlying code generation, such as Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama and ChatGPT, are all advancing rapidly and increasingly perform well on an array of quantitative benchmark tests. For example, reasoning model o3 from OpenAI missed only one question on the 2024 American Invitational Mathematics Exam, scoring 97.7%, and achieved 87.7% on GPQA Diamond, which has graduate-level biology, physics and chemistry questions. Even more striking is a qualitative impression of the new GPT 4.5, as described in a Confluence post. GPT 4.5 correctly answered a broad and vague prompt that other models could not. This might not seem remarkable, but the authors noted: “This insignificant exchange was the first conversation with an LLM where we walked away thinking, ‘Now that feels like general intelligence.’” Did OpenAI just cross a threshold with GPT 4.5? Tipping points While software engineering may be among the first knowledge-worker professions to face widespread AI automation, it will not be the last. Many other white-collar

To help place the ideal ages provided by respondents in context, we compiled data on when in life people around the world actually get married, have their first child and become eligible for certain retirement benefits. Average age at first marriage comes from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division. Data points come from different years, most recently 2019. Ages are calculated separately for men and women. Average age at first child also comes from the UN Population Division and is only available for women.  In this analysis, we use the minimum age at which people in a country become eligible for age-based pensions as that country’s actual “retirement age.” This information comes from the International Social Security Association. Notably, not everyone who meets a country’s age requirements will be eligible for retirement benefits, including people who may work in informal employment; these people are often not considered part of the labor force. source