The Ronin Era

Vincent: “Seven fat years and seven lean years.”

Sam: “That’s what it says in the Bible.”

When times get tough in my career or the industry overall, I find myself returning over and over to John Frankenheimer’s classic film Ronin starring Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, and other great character actors.

The movie is about a group of ex-operatives who have been brought together as mercenaries after the end of the Cold War. I won’t go into spoilers about the story, but what really draws me back is how it feels.

Throughout the entire movie, there is this pervading feeling of paranoia, unease, anxiety, and desperation. In the old order, there were clear sides, right and wrong, and resources to match. But now, these agents, so skilled and capable, have been cast out on their own. There may have been a feeling of loyalty before; but now, it’s clear that was a mirage.

You can see where I’m going with this. Even we’ve had downturns in tech in the past 10-20 years, this feels different. Tens of thousands of people have been laid off over the past two years. Hiring still hasn’t come back, despite (or because of?) excitement over AI.

We’re in a new era of tech rōnin. Where do we go from here? What happens to all of us? Do we all become mercenaries, hiring ourselves out to whoever can give a payback? Does power become even more consolidated with the select crew and more unequal than before? Or is there some kind of rebalancing in the cards?