bobthesungeek76036 shares a report from the Register: Oracle laid off thousands of employees on Tuesday as it ramps spending on AI infrastructure projects internally and with major technology partners. The layoffs were carried out via email, according to copies of the message viewed by Business Insider. The email told affected workers they would be terminated immediately and to provide a personal email for follow-up.
The cuts echo a TD Cowen forecast earlier this year, when the investment bank questioned how Oracle would finance its expanding AI datacenter buildout and suggested headcount reductions could reach 20,000 to 30,000. It is not clear how many employees were notified on Tuesday, but one screenshot that purports to show the number of internal Slack users showed a drop of 10,000 overnight.
[...] Oracle employs about 162,000 people, with 58,000 of those in the US and approximately 104,000 internationally. If the rumored cuts of 30,000 are correct, it would amount to 18 percent of the company's workforce. According to posts from Oracle workers on LinkedIn, the cuts were spread through multiple departments around the country, with employees in Kansas, Tennessee, and Texas taking to social media to say they were among those chopped. "This news didn't seem to affect stock price," adds bobthesungeek76036. "ORCL is up 6% for the day."
David Pogue joins the show to talk about his new book, Apple: The First 50 Years. iOS 26.4 is out with new features & security fixes. And Apple officially discontinues the Mac Pro.
Apple: The First 50 Years.
Apple at 50: Some great Apple history books.
Between Jobs: The triumphs and failures of Apple without Steve Jobs.
Macs of unusual size.
9th Circuit denies Apple's rehearing requests in Epic Games case.
iOS 26.4 has fixes for 35+ security issues on iPhone, details here.
iOS 26.4 now available: Here are all the new features for your iPhone.
macOS 26.4 introduces new security feature for Terminal commands.
Windows PCs crash three times as often as Macs, report says.
iOS 26.5 adds new Apple Maps feature for trending places.
iOS 26.5's Messages app has RCS end-to-end encryption in beta.
iOS 26.5 adds Live Activities support for third-party accessories.
Apple discontinues the Mac Pro with no plans for future hardware.
iRacing on Vision Pro bringing 'immersion and fidelity never before seen in sim racing'.
GeForce Now streams Apple Vision Pro faster & better than to Meta headsets.
Watch a full BBC Proms concert in immersive video on Apple Vision Pro.
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Are you ready to take a look at Richard's home lab? Richard goes solo to share insights about the new infrastructure, hardware, and automation in his seaside home. He discusses the challenges posed by its remote location, including unreliable power and connectivity. You'll find plenty of details about networking, computing infrastructure, automation, telemetry, and experiments with AI technologies. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look!
In this episode, Andy talks with Amy Leneker, leadership coach, joy strategist, and author of Cheers to Monday. Amy's journey began with a burnout so severe that her doctor put her on medical leave. It took 10 words on a medical form to change everything: "What are your hobbies? What do you do for fun?" She couldn't answer it. That moment sent her on a mission to help leaders recognize stress earlier and respond to it far more intentionally.
In this conversation, Amy shares the stress stories many leaders carry without ever questioning them, and why those stories get quietly rewarded in so many organizations. You'll hear how the body whispers warnings long before burnout hits, why most common stress-relief advice actually makes things worse, and how Amy's three-step Un-Stressing Method gives leaders a clear, practical framework to move forward. She also shares a powerful real-world example of a team carrying 73 stressors that simply didn't need to be there—and what happened when they finally saw that.
If you're looking for a practical, empowering guide to break the cycle of stress and overwhelm in leadership, this episode is for you!
Sound Bites
"The story that I inherited, either intentionally or unintentionally, was you just work hard because that's the only choice you have."
"I think one of the biggest mistakes that I made was not recognizing how much choice I had."
"I couldn't remember the last time that I had real fun."
"Those unhealthy stress stories are rewarded."
"The majority of ways that we try to manage stress at work actually increase our stress."
"When I ignored the whispers, it got to the point where ignoring it was no longer an option.... If you ignore them long enough, then the body's going to scream."
"Talking about stress is stressful, but we've got to be able to see it if we're going to be able to do anything about it."
"Unclear expectations are resentments waiting to happen."
"People pleasing—it's not a healthy dynamic. It's not something that serves you or the people around you."
"Stress is contagious. There is no question about it."
"Yes, stress is wildly contagious, but so is joy."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Start of Interview
01:52 Early Messages About Work and Stress
04:36 The 10 Words That Changed Everything
06:39 Postponing Joy
07:30 Stress Stories Leaders Believe
08:19 How the Body Signals Burnout Before the Brain Does
11:44 What's Broken About Typical Stress Advice
12:58 Walking Through the Un-Stressing Method
15:03 Why Sequence Matters: See, Sort, Solve
17:32 Solving Stress vs. Fixing It
18:44 The Un-Stressing Method in Action: A Team Story
21:58 The Danger of Unstated Priorities
22:42 People Pleasing as a Warning Sign
23:38 Breaking the Cycle of Stress as a Parent
24:41 End of Interview
25:11 Andy Comments After the Interview
28:16 Outtakes
Learn More
You can learn more about Amy and her work at AmyLeneker.com.
For more learning on this topic, check out:
Episode 448 with Marie-Helene Pelletier. It's a book on how to develop resilience when demands are piling up. It's a great follow-up to today's discussion.
Episode 398 with Dr. Neha Sangwan, which is a book about learning to recognize wake up calls to help us avoid burnout.
Episode 164 with stress researcher Derek Roger. Derek brings a unique perspective to the discussion about stress.
Chat with PMeLa
You can chat directly with PMeLa—the podcast's AI persona—to get episode recommendations and answers to your project management and leadership questions. Visit PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/PMeLa to chat with her.
Pass the PMP Exam
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I know you want to be a more confident leader–that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks!
Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!
Talent Triangle: Power Skills
Topics: Stress Management, Leadership, Burnout Prevention, Wellbeing, Resilience, Team Culture, People Pleasing, Priority Setting, Workplace Conflict, Joy, Self-Awareness, Communication
Welcome back to the Cozy AI Kitchen, where our latest episode explores how creators and small business owners use AI to turn passion into impact. In this episode, we’re joined by Jeremy Likness, an astrophotographer, who shares how he uses Microsoft Copilot and AI-powered tools to transform stunning images of the night sky into a creative business. From analyzing photos and pricing artwork to generating cinematic videos, animations, and music, Jeremy walks us through real, practical ways AI helps him save time, reduce costs, and tell better stories, without writing custom code. Whether you’re a photographer, artist, or small business owner curious about AI, this episode shows how accessible and powerful these tools can be when you lean into them.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to use Microsoft Copilot to critique and analyze photography - AI-driven pricing strategies for selling art and prints - Turning still images into animated, cinematic video - Using AI to create music, storytelling visuals, and transitions - How small business owners can use AI without technical expertise - Why “just ask AI” is often the best place to start
Key Takeaways
- You don’t need to be technical to benefit from AI - Copilot works best when grounded in real-world constraints - AI excels at filling the “everything else” gap for small businesses - Creativity + AI unlocks entirely new storytelling formats
Chapters 00:00 - Breadsticks, Telescopes, and Looking at the Stars 00:08 - Welcome to Cozy AI Kitchen 00:49 - Meet Astrophotographer Jeremy Likness 01:59 - Telescopes, Cameras, and Astrophotography Gear 02:47 - Turning Photos Into a Business With AI 03:19 - Using Microsoft Copilot to Analyze Images 04:29 - AI Pricing Strategy for Photography 05:32 - Running a Side Hustle With Limited Time 06:22 - Visualizing Canvas vs Metal Prints With AI 07:32 - Using Copilot as a No-Code AI Harness 08:10 - Animating Still Images for Video 09:13 - Storytelling With Constellations and Nebulae 10:28 - Seamless AI Transitions Between Images 10:52 - AI for Diagrams and Behind-the-Scenes Storytelling 11:04 - Generating Cinematic Music With AI 12:23 - Long-Form Ambient Space Videos 13:06 - Advice for Small Business Owners Using AI 14:48 - Saving Money With AI-Powered 3D Creation 16:06 - Final Takeaway: If You Need Help With AI, Ask AI
Evan Albert from Meta joins Mazen and Robin on the episode! Evan reveals how React Native developers can now build apps for Meta Quest using the tools they already know and love. From infinite screen space to multi-panel experiences, this episode explores the exciting frontier where React Native meets VR.
Infinite Red is an expert React Native consultancy located in the USA. With over a decade of React Native experience and deep roots in the React Native community (hosts of Chain React and the React Native Newsletter, core React Native contributors, creators of Ignite and Reactotron, and much, much more), Infinite Red is the best choice for helping you build and deploy your next React Native app.
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