Remember when landing a job at Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, or Google meant you'd made it? When FAANG was the career destination, the undisputed kings of tech?
Those days feel like a lifetime ago.
The acronym itself is showing its age. Facebook rebranded to Meta three years ago, betting the company on a metaverse that never quite materialized. Netflix went from disrupting television to being disrupted, facing fierce competition from every entertainment conglomerate with a streaming app. And the others? They're still massive, still profitable, but the mystique has faded.
Meanwhile, the new power players don't fit neatly into a catchy acronym. OpenAI is reshaping how we think about technology itself. Nvidia's market cap has exploded past most FAANG members. Anthropic, xAI, and a dozen other AI startups are attracting the talent that once flocked exclusively to Silicon Valley's established giants.
The mass layoffs didn't help either. Tens of thousands of engineers who thought they had job security discovered that even FAANG bleeds. The promise of stability evaporated, and with it, part of the allure.
But here's the question: Is FAANG actually dead, or has it just evolved into something different? Are we witnessing the end of an era, or just the tech industry doing what it does best—constantly reinventing itself?
What do you think? Is FAANG still the gold standard, or are we living in a post-FAANG world?
Vote
- No: ❤️
- Yes: 🔥
- Never: 🦄
Top comments (7)
This should have always been variables and not constants 😄
Never! Still top choice.
Going, Going, Gone! Layoffs, toxicity, politics - Big Tech companies are no more! So many startups are popping up with funding and great tech, problems to solve and products. So, no thanks :)
whole tech market job is dead xd
The 'dream job' status took a massive hit once the promise of stability evaporated with the layoffs. :)
This is a really thoughtful take — I like how you separate brand mystique from actual impact. It feels less like FAANG is “dead” and more like the center of gravity has shifted toward companies that are driving real technological change right now, especially in AI. I’m curious to see whether the big players can reinvent themselves fast enough or if the next generation of talent will fully commit to these newer, more focused companies. Either way, this transition period is fascinating to watch.
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intresting take