Tech Workers Turn To This App Amidst Widespread Layoffs
It seems no tech company is safe. In 2023 alone, Amazon has cut 18,000 roles, Microsoft laid off 10,000 workers, and Google’s parent company Alphabet has let go of 6% of its global workforce.
Big names in tech like Zoom, PayPal, and Spotify join the list, as do small start-ups around the world. All this comes after rounds of tech layoffs in 2022. And it may not be over yet: Meta has already axed its workforce, and more layoffs may be on their way.
Hundreds of thousands of tech workers are unexpectedly faced with finding a new job and fast.
This App Helps Workers Survive and Thrive After a Layoff
To help, they’re turning to Blinkist, an app that brings together the most important information from nonfiction books into 15-minute bite-sized explainers you can read or listen to.
Blinkist has explainers to 5,500 books across 27 categories including leadership, psychology, and entrepreneurship. Tech workers are using the app to brush up on skills for their job hunt, discover new industries to pivot into and learn how to deal with the emotional side of losing a job.
Here’s how Blinkist helps them.
Learn New Skills in 15 Minutes
Whether you want to brush up on your interview skills or learn about a new industry to pivot into entirely, you can do it by reading nonfiction books on the topics.
But this takes time. And when you have rent to pay and no money coming in, time isn’t a luxury we all have.
Blinkist gets you to the heart of a book in 15 minutes. The team gathers the most important ideas, actionable advice, and key insights into one bite-sized explainer, so you can get the information you need from a book in a matter of minutes.
Brush Up on Skills On the Go
You don’t need to sit at home to learn new skills to land your next job. You can listen to the audio versions of Blinkist’s explainers on the go.
Learn how to nail an interview while walking the dog, brush up on your management skills while running errands, or discover strategies for overcoming setbacks while hitting the gym.
–Holger Seim, CEO of Blinkist
25 Million People Use Blinkist To Gain More Knowledge
It’s not just laid-off tech workers who turn to the app in hard times. Blinkist has 25 million users from around the world. They use the app to learn from top nonfiction books and improve their work lives and personal lives.
Don’t just take our word for it, though. Users have given the app 94,000 5-star ratings across app stores.
–Holger Seim, CEO of Blinkist
One of the World’s Best Apps for Personal Development
Blinkist is a leader in the personal development field. It’s won awards from Google and the United Nations, and it’s been praised by The New York Times and The Guardian.
Even big tech companies recommend it. Apple named it one of the world’s best apps and one of the top 20 apps for lifelong learning.
Why is it so loved? One reason is it uses neuroscientific principles in its content to make everything you read or listen to easy to understand and remember. This makes personal development with Blinkist easy and effective, so you don’t waste a moment of time.
–The United Nations
Curated Content for Tech Workers
Blinkist’s expert curators have pulled together titles to help tech workers facing layoffs.
The Layoff Survival Kit is a collection of 15 books packed with helpful information about how you can build confidence and resilience after a layoff, as well as how you can hit the ground running with your job search.
Books include Surrounded by Setbacks, on how to achieve your dreams even when you’re faced with challenges, The Obstacle is the Way to learn how to apply Stoic philosophy to modern life, The Power to Change on how to navigate change, The Hard Thing About Hard Things if you want to pivot into starting your own business, and When Things Fall Apart to learn meditation techniques to stay present when facing hard times.
–Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way
Hit the Ground Running with Any Skill
When you’re unexpectedly faced with finding a new job, you may want to brush up on your skills — and fast.
Blinkist’s library is 5,500 titles strong, so tech workers can learn just about anything.
Categories include entrepreneurship for those who want to pivot into starting their own business, leadership for those who want their next role to be a step up, and career & success for those who need practical job-hunting and work skills.
There are even titles on specific industries, like marketing and product management, if you want to update your knowledge of your sector or learn more about other options out there.
–Adam Gries, Founder of OKpanda
The team adds 70 new books each month so you can stay on top of the latest releases on the topics that are important to you.
Take Short Courses to Grow Your Skills and Confidence
Beyond learning from Blinkist’s explainers of nonfiction books, you can dive deeper into the skills you want to develop with Guides.
Guides are short courses narrated by experts that feature key explainers and exercises on a certain topic.
For example, there’s “Using Failure at Work,” “What Really Matters in Remote Leadership,” and “Building a Sense of Self-Worth.” These will give you a deep understanding of a topic in just a few hours, whether it’s a hard skill for work, or building up confidence after a job loss.
Want to know why so many people are now flooding to Blinkist? Download the app and find out.
