The Latest on AI Talent Trends

An interesting new report from SignalFire, a San Francisco-based venture investor, assesses the state of AI talent and offers some very useful insights.  The SignalFire State of Tech Talent Report 2025 highlights four key trends: 

1. The scale and pace of entry level hiring for tech talent is declining rapidly.
2. A generational hiring shift is reducing or eliminating opportunities for younger tech talent
3. Elite AI labs and firms are able to easily recruit and retain top talent
4. The Geography of Tech Talent is shifting.

Given our economic development focus, let’s examine that 4^th finding on shifts in tech hubs.  The report finds that the Bay Area and New York City remain strong and are getting stronger in terms of attracting tech talent.  Meanwhile, some newer tech hubs, such as Austin and Houston, seem to be facing headwinds, and newer players, such as Miami and San Diego, are performing strongly. While these results are preliminary, they suggest that AI’s rise will also reshuffle how tech hubs evolve and prosper.