Once earning Rs 1.28 crore, metaverse engineer now sidelined by AI and delivering food

Just a year ago, Shawn Kay, was earning around Rs 1.28 crore a year as a metaverse engineer in the US. Today, the 42-year-old lives in a small trailer in New York and delivers food to survive. Kay has worked in tech for 20 years. He was involved in virtual reality, web development and artificial intelligence. But after being laid off in April last year, things took a turn for the worse. The metaverse boom faded and jobs in that space dried up, especially with the sudden rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Despite trying for 800 roles, he’s barely had 10 interviews, and many were with automated systems, not people. Since losing his job, Kay has applied to over 800 positions. But he barely had 10 interviews, and many were with automated systems, not people.Despite his struggles, Kay still has faith in AI. He believes it holds great potential but feels companies are misusing it by replacing skilled workers instead of supporting them.He doesn’t see his experience as isolated. He cautions that by laying off talent to reduce expenses, companies may be hurting their long-term potential as well as their ability to grow and evolve.With his savings drying up, Kay is thinking about taking up short courses or getting a commercial driving licence to start earning again, but the high cost of upskilling is holding him back. His story is a sign of how fast the tech world is changing. And for many like Kay, keeping up feels harder than ever.