Month: October 2025

the center that controls the time

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Few infrastructures are as invisible as time, but its precision underpins much of the modern world. In China, that pulse is marked a scientific center in Xi’an that adjusts everything from bank clocks to defense systems. Now, that same center has become the epicenter of a serious accusation: the Chinese Government claims to have detected evidence of an intrusion by the US National Security Agency (NSA, the body that together with the CIA leads US intelligence operations) into its network, directed against the system that maintains the country’s official time. The center that tells the time of China. The National Time Service Center (NTSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is much more than a laboratory: it is the reference that generates, maintains and transmits the official time of the country. From its network of stations and atomic clocks, communication, banking, energy, transportation and even defense systems are synchronized. In addition, it participates in the calculation of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and maintains a deviation of less than five nanoseconds from it, which places it among the four most precise timekeeping centers in the world. A prolonged offensive in three phases. According to information released by CGM (via CGTN)the operation attributed to the US National Security Agency began in March 2022, when a vulnerability in the messaging service of a foreign phone was exploited to access the devices of several NTSC employees. Starting in April 2023, using stolen credentials, attackers penetrated internal systems. Between August 2023 and June 2024, activity intensified with sustained attacks against the organization’s most sensitive networks. According to the researchthe operation was not limited to a specific entry. After violating the messaging application of a foreign smartphone, the attackers would have taken control of the mobile phones of several employees and extracted passwords and authentication data. That information was used to maintain remote access to NTSC servers without being detected. Chinese authorities define the intrusion as “planned, structured and constantly escalating,” a description that points to a sustained campaign rather than an isolated incident. Objective: High precision timing system. The official story focuses on a highly sensitive target: the NTSC precision ground timing system, identified in the communications as “high-precision ground-based timing system.” According to CMG, the intruders attempted not only to gather information, but also to insert offensive capabilities that could render that infrastructure useless, with the possibility of “paralyzing or destroying” its operation. Attributed methods and camouflage. They also point out that the offensive was not limited to rudimentary techniques: they say it deployed a new platform with 42 specialized cyber weapons and advanced camouflage methods. The attackers used VPS located in multiple regions to hide their origin, used fake certificates to gain trust in networks, and bypassed antivirus systems while applying strong encryption to eliminate records of the intrusion. Command and control infrastructure included VPS in EuropeUnited States and Asia. When time becomes a strategic objective. Beijing maintains that the NTSC defenses managed to stop the offensive before the national timekeeping was altered. But the attempt, authorities emphasize, demonstrates that an apparently technical system can become a strategic objective. The possibility of manipulating the measurement of time—even marginally—opens a scenario of unpredictable consequences. The case has revived concern about the security of invisible infrastructures, those that are not seen, but support the functioning of the country. The Ministry of Security claimed to have gathered “conclusive evidence” of the attack, after which he helped the NTSC cut the chains of intrusion and reinforce its systems. According to China Media Group, the intervention made it possible to eliminate potential risks and restore the integrity of the network. The authorities assured that the incident served to update defense mechanisms and strengthen supervision of critical infrastructures. No technical details were provided on the measures adopted or on cooperation with other state agencies. Between the official story and the lack of response. For now, the attack remains in the realm of accusations. China claims to have gathered evidence of an NSA operation, while the United States has not responded. Without external verification, the true magnitude of the incident is difficult to measure. The episode illustrates, in any case, how security and temporal precision have become part of the board where global technological tensions are resolved. Images | National Time Service Center (NTSC) (1, 2) | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 In Xataka | Unitree wants to conquer robotics in China and is making a move: it has just announced its most capable robot. Now the only thing missing is that there is demand

The Chinese subsidiary of Nexperia has just broken ranks with its parent company in the Netherlands. And that takes the conflict to another level.

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Nexperia has gone from being unknown to becoming the new focus of tension in the technological war between the West and China. The company, with Chinese capital but based in the Netherlands, has been intervened by the Dutch Governmentwhich alleges national security reasons. And its impact could soon be felt in sectors as sensitive as automobiles and consumer electronics. The movement is not minor: Nexperia controls an extensive network of factories and assembly centers in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Malaysia and China, all important for the global semiconductor chain. Since the Netherlands took over governance of the company at the beginning of the month, a key question has arisen: how far does its control over those international operations really extend? Different laws, one company: Nexperia, caught between Europe and China The answer, at least in part, we already have. Nexperia operations in China have recalled that They work “independently” from the Dutch headquarters. A gesture that not only challenges this European authority, but adds a new layer of uncertainty to an industry that continues to suffer the consequences of the chip crisis. The statement released by Nexperia China on October 17 through its official channel WeChat marks a turning point in the dispute. In the text, signed by all the group’s operating entities in the country, the company reaffirms its autonomy from the headquarters in the Netherlands and remembers that its activity is governed exclusively by Chinese legislation. The document clearly establishes that the legal representative has exclusive authority to make decisions and approve any instructions from abroad: “Nexperia companies in China are independent companies that operate in accordance with national laws. The legal representative has exclusive authority to make decisions and approve any external instructions. No employee is obliged to follow orders coming from outside without their express consent.” The Dutch headquarters, for its part, has denied that “independence” and has attributed it to unauthorized information and actions, which adds another chapter to the internal clash. A ban on exporting its products from China has put European manufacturers on alert, especially the automotive industry, which depends on Nexperia chips for the operation of numerous electronic components. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) warned last week that the situation could cause production stops if supply is not restored in the coming weeks. According to the organization, current stocks would barely cover a few assembly cycles and approving new suppliers would take months, a period incompatible with market demand. One of Nexperia’s facilities in Guangdong Nexperia’s weight in the semiconductor chain is best understood by looking at how its production is organized. Although the headquarters and operational management are located in the Netherlands, much of the group’s added value comes from Asia. Its assembly and test plants in China, the Philippines and Malaysia manage enormous production volumes that supply both the Asian market and Europe. The coming weeks will be marked by the search for a fragile balance between regulators and governments. Nexperia has confirmed that it is in talks with China’s Ministry of Commerce to reverse the export blockade, while the Netherlands retains control of its governance. The question is whether the company will be able to operate normally. without violating either of the two legal frameworks. For now, the signals are mixed: production continues, but under an environment of uncertainty that leaves manufacturers waiting for a quick outcome. Images | Nexperia In Xataka | The problem is not that Europe has “expropriated” Nexperia from a Chinese company: it is that it approved its sale just a year ago

The latest trend among the rich is exclusive writing retreats. Experts don’t think anything too good will come of it.

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The bubble of the luxury retreats It continues to grow by pairing itself with all kinds of hobbies. Painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography or jewelry classes we already have increasingly wealthy clients with higher and higher goals. The phenomenon of wellness luxury It continues to expand and the last sphere to receive its corresponding practical courses for very well-off people has been that of writing. In other words: if you are starving as a writer it is because you want to, it is a waste of time to make a living from writing (as long as you already had a lot of money beforehand, of course). Luxury retreats for writers. Luxury retreats for writers come under scrutiny in articles like this one from Slatewhich although it guarantees that the cost of the experience it describes is very high, also makes it clear that strictly literary results are not guaranteed. They are exclusive experiences that combine writing with activities such as massages, yoga, horseback riding, gourmet gastronomy and cultural tours in destinations such as Guatemalaon board a luxury cruise with all kinds of classes and tutorials, France either Tuscany. The only thing you need to participate in them is to have sufficient financial resources and available free time, not talent or experience in the world of writing. ‘Call me Ismael’, version wellness luxury. That is, more than the writing workshop in your neighborhood bookstore, these retreats have to do with the trend of wellness luxury that we mentioned: retreats that combine popular hobbies with exclusive holistic practices such as guided meditations, pranayamaspecialized massages, spa with ancestral therapies and gourmet organic gastronomy (sic). This exists but if you haven’t heard of it, perhaps it is because it is outside your sphere of possibilities. Visit websites with these types of experiences, such as Sansara Resort on the Pacific coast, and you decide if it is designed for your pocket or continue taking your drafts to your neighborhood bookstore. Emotional scam. Richard Z. Santos, author of the article, speaks directly of an emotional and financial “scam”: in the last 15 years, the duration of his literary career, he has observed how this market of workshops, sessions, and retreats to improve writing has grown, but the recent wave of touristy and expensive destinations for writers does not guarantee anything. These luxury retreats are accessible with direct payment and without a quality filter, they are more of a luxury product and a tourist experience than a serious training space. What’s more, some writers have reported that these retreats can be emotionally draining or counterproductive if you are working on sensitive or traumatic material without adequate psychological support. The barriers. Santos talks about the fact that the participants in this type of retreat are mostly white women with good economic stability, which creates an important socioeconomic and racial diversity barrier. Quite the opposite of what happens with “real”, prestigious and traditional retreats, such as Yaddo either Bread Loafwhich work with rigorous selection processes based on literary merits and offer scholarships for those who cannot afford them, and thus add social and ethnic diversity. Pay and you will receive. The luxury tourism industry and wellness They try to cover themselves with experiences that sell skills or training, and thus stop transmitting an image of indolence or little commitment to other social levels. But the name “pay-to-play” that is usually given to these withdrawals is for a reason: the fact of paying does not guarantee anything. And much less in something that requires a certain commitment, like artistic creation. Photo of Darius Bashar in Unsplash

An electric car is 54% cheaper to maintain than a combustion car. And it may not compensate because the data has a trick

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The cost of a car is not what you pay for it, it is the sum of many other factors. It is what it costs you to fill the tank, what it costs you to repair it and, why not, what you get back once you have decided to get rid of it. Are there reasons to go electric? Yes, many. Also to stay in the combustion. It depends on what you value. The data. An electric car saves up to 54% in maintenance compared to an equivalent gasoline car. Those are the accounts of Autobild that are spreading in recent days among the media. His comparison pointed to a Volkswagen ID.3 with a Volkswagen Golf VII 1.6 TDI from 2016 and a Volkswagen e-Golf, also from 2016. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? The result is that maintaining the electric car was between 40 and 54% cheaper than versions with combustion engines. According to their calculations, the revisions for the diesel version ranged from 393 euros to 547 euros. The plug-in hybrid had a price in its reviews of between 161 euros and 275 euros. The electric maintenance book required maintenance of between 200 and 300 euros. Of course, the stops were less frequent and, according to their calculations, as the kilometers passed, the pure electric was between 40 and 54% cheaper than its combustion “brothers.” Because? They give several reasons. First of all, as we have seen, because the reviews They are less expensive and less common. Fewer components have to be replaced in them, so it is necessary to invest less money. Among his accounts are oil changes (almost non-existent among electric cars), the total absence of possible breakdowns of a combustion engine and also the replacement of wear elements: timing belts, spark plugs, particle filter… In addition, they pointed out that some elements suffer less wear over the years and kilometers. For example, they predict a longer useful life for disc brakes because, especially in the city, most of the braking is absorbed by regenerative braking. and the day to day. There is another invariable fact: on a day-to-day basis, an electric car is almost always cheaper than a gasoline car. In the city, the electric car consumes less than a gasoline or diesel car. This, in addition, is exposed to a greater number of breakdowns with switching on and off every few kilometers. But if you want to do the math. An electric car in the city can easily move at 10-15 kWh/100 kilometers. That means that, with a domestic charge at 10 cents/kWhwe are talking about between one euro and one and a half euros per 100 kilometers. In the city, compared to a hybrid that consumes 4 liters/100 km we are talking about more than five euros difference per day. If it is a gasoline that moves at around 7 l/100 km in the urban environment, the difference goes up to nine euros. It is in long-distance getaways where the circumstances are equal. If an electric car consumes 18-20 kWh/100 km and refuels at 0.50 euros/kWh, we are talking about between 9 and 10 euros to travel 100 kilometers, figures very similar to gasoline. Charged in an ultra-fast plug at about 0.80 euros, we are talking about gasoline or diesel winning by a lot. Yes, but. That is to say, electric car is cheaper. Almost always, but not always. First, because that first comparison that has gone viral has something of a trick: the data is from 2021. The electricity figures posted above, for example, are current and less favorable to the electric car. However, as we have seen, those who use the car in the urban environment are very likely to find it worth opting for this technology. Of course, the latest data that are collected from ADAC (the German RACE) are not so optimistic. In that case they talk about a saving of between 20 and 30% in favor of the electric car. That is, they continue winning but the margin is narrowing. And if…? Calculating what one saves with an electric car is not entirely simple. For example, right now you can calculate how much money you would save in regulated parking areas in those cities where there are discounts on parking. And you can do the math thinking that the MOVES III Plan but, in some autonomous communities, this is not entirely safe. But not only that, when calculating what a car costs we can keep in mind its selling price, whether there is a premium for the electric version, the expected savings with our type of use and the kilometers to be traveled… but, What happens if we want to sell the car? In that case, the electric car seems to lose out. At this time, it is a technology that devalues ​​quickly because batteries degrade over time (range is reduced) and innovations are making cars obsolete in a very short time while new models reduce their prices. That is to say, the second-hand market has everything to continue losing money with the electric car. So what do I do? The first thing we recommend in Xataka is that you have very clear what kind of use you are going to make the vehicle. Be as rational as possible or, at least, be very clear about what you value above all else. If you like a passionate car and money doesn’t matter to youget the vehicle that you like the most. Here, however, we are here to talk about money. If you want a adjusted car, calculate the daily kilometers you travel, the types of outings you do and make calculations of the battery size you need. Of course, if a small car with 50-60 kWh capacity is enough, keep in mind that you will have to make concessions when you travel. In that case, only you set the price for your time. With all this in mind, do the following math: Cost … Read more

Nestlé has announced the dismissal of 16,000 employees and its CEO has revealed the reason: “we will automate our processes”

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Nestlé has announced the layoff of 16,000 employees worldwide, and it will fall especially on so-called “white collar” jobs. Among the reasons that the company argues through of a statement one stands out: “We are evolving and will simplify our organization and automate our processes.” The decision has generated uncertainty both globally and in Spain, where its Spanish subsidiary has more than 4,000 employees and several factories. However, the most surprising thing is that, for the first time, it is a food company and not technological who makes a decision of this nature: cut jobs to flatten the organization and automate office roles. Change to a more aggressive dome. Nestlé has taken a drastic turn in its internal policy by announcing the elimination of 16,000 positions of work. That represents about 6% of its total global workforce. This decision has surprised the markets, since it occurs just after having presented results that show growth in its income and sales throughout 2025. Shortly after, its new CEO Philipp Navratil explained on your LinkedIn profile the company’s determined commitment to automate and digitize its processes under a cost reduction plan driven by the new direction of the company. In fact, the previous board already had an adjustment plan in place in which 541.4 million euros were going to be saved. With the new management leadership, the savings objective has doubled to 1,082.8 million euros by 2027. The layoffs are no longer due to economic problems. When a company announced layoffs, they were usually associated with a bad economic situation. However, as we have seen in different technology companies such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft, layoffs and finances are already They are not necessarily related. In the case of Nestlé, the company recorded organic sales growth of 3.3% in the first nine months of 2025, consolidating its figures in different global markets. As Navratil explained, the main argument for the layoffs is the company optimization to prepare it for a future competitive scenario and, to this end, it was going to focus on simplifying the organization and automating processes (with AI?) when appropriate. The same argument that big technology They have been using it for months in the context of the race for AI. Distribution of layoffs and their impact. As confirmed by Nestlé, the layoffs will mainly affect “white collar” workers and around 12,000 employees will be in the office and administrative functions, while around 4,000 more layoffs will be distributed between production and supply chain departments. The company has not detailed the exact geographical distribution of the layoffs, which maintains uncertainty in key markets such as Spain, where staff and unions have shown concern about the possibility of factories closing or production being reduced in certain cities. Nestlé employs around 4,000 employees in Spain in 10 production centers in five autonomous communities: Cantabria, Asturias, Extremadura, Galicia and Catalonia. In Xataka | Big Tech doesn’t stop firing its engineers. At the same time, they have stepped on the accelerator in hiring Image | Nestle

It is not whoever shoots faster who wins, but whoever types better

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The video game ‘Final Sentence’ is the perfect example that there are no mechanics that are too dry or complex: if the design is good and the packaging attractive you can have some of the content creators most relevant on the internet typing lapidary phrases without rest as if they were secretaries of some oil magnate. Typing for the masses in a title whose final version is not yet available but whose demo is already sweeping Steam. What is it. ‘Final Sentence’ is an independent video game with an overwhelmingly simple concept: a battle royale typing game in which up to 100 players compete to survive based on speed and precision when writingand where every spelling mistake is potentially fatal. Developed by independent Lithuanian studio Button Mash (actually just one person), the game creates an experience that some media have compared it to ‘The Squid Game’ or other games like ‘Buckshot Roulette’. The inspiration, according to your managercomes from your own clumsiness at the keys and the search for more entertaining ways to improve. Why has it been so successful? A series of factors have come together that have turned it into a bombshell. On the one hand, and above all, the launch of a playable demo as part of the latest Steam Next Fest in October. On the other hand, it uses a mechanic that we know well, the free-for-all, which is part of the essence of hits like ‘Fortnite‘, and washes his face. Being easy to understand and difficult to master (that is, anyone can start playing immediately), it also has an implacable brutality with errors: any mistake is severely punished. Which gives it both an addictive component and a viral character that has helped many content creators try it. The pressure of 100. He battle royale It is carried out against groups of rivals of between 40 and 100 players (although it is also possible to organize smaller private games). But the interesting thing is in the most populated ones: seeing how one after another the rivals finish their sentences, the players can feel the imminent elimination, since not only those who make mistakes are punished, but also those who are slower in finishing writing what they have been ordered to. Who has played. People as followed on the Spanish-speaking internet as IlloJuan, ElRubius, Genuine993, PNKeasy They have tried the game, but you just have to go around platforms like Youtube to check that there are thousands of videos with gameplays of the game, all squeezing out the component of tension and terror that this very peculiar concept has. The reason? The idea of ​​”write or die” is extremely juicy and practically any viewer, regardless of cultures and languages, can identify with it. Play to write. Since that legendary ‘The Typing of the Dead‘ that allowed you to connect a keyboard to the Dreamcast to undertake a literary version of ‘House of the Dead’, the very specific subgenre of “typing video games” has experienced multiple mutations, to the point of generating its own variants. There are, for example, online competitive titles (‘TypeRacer‘, ‘NitroType‘, ‘Ratatype Race‘), narrative and adventure games (‘Epistory‘, ‘The Textorcist‘, ‘Type to Continue‘) and games more oriented towards educational or casualas ‘TypingClub‘, the platform Typing.com or the hilarious Ztype. The important thing: that you have the keys well oiled, because you can see every work tool there… In Xataka | Transcribing at full speed with a keyboard with only 21 keys: the job of a stenotypist, according to someone who has been in it for 35 years

There are 10,000 soldiers and unusual artillery pointing at the same place in the Caribbean

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It all started under the pretext of “drug trafficking”but the amount of accumulated signals, troops and artillery that the United States has been adding around the southern Caribbean, indicate that the operation has slipped towards a coercion mechanism strategic to force accelerated eviction without a formal invasion. A combination of visible deterrence, explicit threats and preparation of windows of surgical action. In the background: Venezuela. Evolution of the objective. It we count last week. The US deployment began wrapped in the classic language of the fight against drug trafficking, attacking boats fast and reactivating bases with a technical pretext. It happens that the accumulation of gestures (B-52 with transponders assets bordering on the Venezuelan FIR, “ghost ships”, SOF helicopters training off the coast, and the trump admission that “he doesn’t want to play”) seem to have another purpose: the message It no longer seems to deny drug routes, but rather something more akin to overthrowing the Venezuelan regime. The public articulation (“Maduro is a fugitive”, “he must go”) and privately aligns military deployment with a logic of collapse rather than containment. Artillery as pressure. The volume of resources and troops from Washington that CNN reported in the last few hours and the New York Times through satellite data (thousands of soldiers next to the ARG Iwo Jimathree destroyers DDG guided missilesa cruisea SSN submarineairplanes AC-130J armed with hellfire, F-35 in Puerto Ricoairplanes P-8, MQ-9, ISR flights massive and reactivation of the Roosevelt Roads base) is disproportionate to simply hunt down drug boats, although insufficient to occupy Caracas. Is, according to analystsexactly the size that allows hitting nodes (command, radars, escorts, inner rings) without “going fully into” a war, and maintaining a credible “low-profile” escalation vector. American voices match in the Financial Times: “it is too much for drug trafficking, but not enough for an invasion”, and what is left in the middle is a luck calibrated pressure. One of the satellite images captured on October 17 showing F-35 fighter jets at the José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Puerto Rico The mystery of Venezuela. For its part, the Venezuelan Armed Force is eroded by maintenance and spare parts, but much less naked: there is S-300anti-aircraft artillery, MANPADS, F-16 and a million militiamen that cast serious doubt on the reputational costs if Washington crosses the kinetic threshold. At the same time, the national commanders they suspect leaks and purge loyalties, the Times said that they sleep rotating locations and change escorts. A pattern that reveals internal vulnerability and expectation of a selective coup, in any case, there does not seem to be confidence in defeating the United States. Colombia and something more. The dialectical escalation with Colombia (Trump has called Petro a “drug leader,” threats of cut funds and tariffsand rhetorical retaliation after a naval attack that killed a fisherman) reconfigures an alliance that until now was key for Washington: the same one that provided the 80% of intelligence in the area. In other words, the clash erodes the regional pillar precisely when the United States approaches the use of force threshold in Venezuela, expanding the diplomatic front and reducing its margins for sustained maneuver. The political window. While, Donald Trump’s administration acts against the clock: this posture sustained under a climate of war does not seem to be able to be maintained indefinitely and any accident can precipitate an unplanned escalation. Plus: Trump does not seem to focus the operation on normative criteria (elections or institutional guarantees) but rather to a result that he can declare as “victory,” which makes the margins of American rhetoric more flexible, but hardens the incentive for a spectacular blow. Military analysts warn that “over braking” could behead without transition and opening a vacuum, while the opposition replies that Venezuelan social cohesion reduces that risk. Thus, the gap between both hypotheses is precisely where the greatest American pressure operates today. Strategic test. In summary, the combination of visible military troopscredible threat of precision hits and a diplomacy that does not stop tightening the rope, define that kind of ultimatum phase but without a formal ultimatum. From that perspective, the outcome aims to depend less on the balance of fire than on the breaking point within the Chavista leadership and whether Washington decides to stop after a possible departure of Maduro, or explicitly pursues the “end of” as a regime. And while that ambiguity persists, the pressure aims to continue… while the Caribbean wonders for how long. Image | USN/MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS THEOPLIS STEWART II, ​​Planet Labs PBC In Xataka | A disturbing idea is gaining strength: that what the US wants is not drugs, and that is why it is targeting Venezuela In Xataka | That the US Air Force flies its three B-52 bombers is normal. That he does it against Venezuela not so much

vote in the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025

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As we anticipated this morning, here is the second part of the voting in the entertainment category. If this morning we announced the candidates for best video gamein this vote it is the turn of the best series or movie. A category with, once again, many candidates in which you, our xatakeros, will choose those who will advance to the grand final. The winners will be revealed in the gala on November 20 at the Capitol Cinemas in Madrid ((tickets now available!). Unlike other categories, for these two we only take into account those films and series that have been released before the publication of this article. That said, let’s get to know the candidates. Best series/movie Note: If you are browsing from a mobile phone and the form does not look good, you can vote from here. For the voting system we use Google Forms, so in order to send your vote you need to be logged into your Gmail (or Google) account in the browser, whether desktop or mobile, so that each reader can cast their vote. Thank you. NordVPN offers you a fast and stable connection thanks to your more than 6,300 servers in more than 110 countries. Enjoy advanced cybersecurity tools with Threat Protection Pro™, securely access your streaming platforms favorites wherever you are and enjoy the best offers on flights and hotels. Advice offered by the brand How voting works The mechanics of the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025 are the same as in previous editions. It is divided into three phases: Public vote: Over the next few days we will be publishing articles with our categories and the candidates selected by the Xataka team so that you, our xatakeros, can vote for your favorites. Jury vote: With the finalists that the public has chosen, the Xataka jury and other technology experts will vote for those who are, in their view, the best devices. Choice of winners: The jury’s votes will be combined with those of the public to choose the winners, who will be announced on November 20. Unlike what happens with the device categories, for the “Best video game” and “Best series/movie” categories we consider those titles launching in 2025 that have been released before todayalso including those from 2024 who did not participate in the previous edition. Vote in other categories: These are all the categories of the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025 in which you can now vote: Thank you very much for participating! Image | Xataka In Xataka | Xataka NordVPN 2025 Awards: reserve November 20 for the great annual technology festival

“Growth without jobs is the new normal”

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Generation Z has had a incorporation into the labor market really bumpy. Their last years of training and internships were marked by the isolation caused by the pandemic and, when it already seemed that they were going to be able to return to their first jobs normally, the adoption of AI has put them on the tightrope again. According to a new report from Goldman Sachs has had access FortuneGeneration Z is at a strange crossroads of economic prosperity for companies and unemployment for them. USA: the canary in the mine. The American labor market is experiencing a profound change which especially affects young people of generation Z, who are looking for their first job in an increasingly complicated environment. It is no coincidence that the first symptoms of impact of AI in the workplace arise in the US since it is the country with greater implementation of AI with 1.2 million companies that are already using AI in some of their processes. Its effects are the canary in the mine for the rest of the economies. In this context, US companies are already They don’t offer as many opportunities. jobs for newly graduated employees as before, and analysts warn that this “jobless growth” scenario will be the new normal for years to come. Soaring economy, stagnant jobs. At this moment, the Stanford research show that generation Z has 13% more difficulty accessing certain jobs, even when the economy continues to grow in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Goldman Sachs experts David Mericle and Pierfrancesco Mei emphasize that this economic growth reflected by GDP does not translate into more jobs, especially for young people who start their professional career who are seeing how AI has taken on tasks that until now were part of your job learning process. That is, companies earn more, with less staff. The perfect storm for generation Z. According to report data ‘2025-2026 Hiring Benchmark Report‘ prepared by Criteria, human resources managers agree that 92% of young people from generation Z are not prepared for the current demands of the labor market. Although these young people are skilled in using technology and digital tools, companies demand highly qualified and experienced professionals. Something they have not yet had the time (or opportunity) to acquire. On the other hand, automation and mass adoption of artificial intelligence are causing “the modest employment growth along with the strong GDP growth observed recently is likely to normalize to some extent in the coming years.” This diagnosis implies that the majority of new jobs that emerge will be closely linked to high-level technological profiles, while opportunities for young people without experience continue to decline. Productivity and employment have let go of each other’s hands. According to the authors of the Goldman Sachs study, the economic boost to the US GDP is supported above all by the productivity that artificial intelligence is already beginning to provide. However, the new job creation data They are not on the same ascending line. The information They show that in almost all sectors (less in health), job creation is “weak, null or negative”, with managers opting to automate tasks and reduce labor costs permanently. Generation Z in a delicate situation. The conclusion of the Goldman Sachs analysts is clear: “History also suggests that the full consequences of AI for the labor market may not be evident until a recession hits,” at which point the generation Z would be the most vulnerable to any financial shock. Given that, although it is true that the data confirms that there are not large rounds of layoffs (at least not as many like in 2023), No new vacancies are opening either.. The result is a static labor market, especially for those seeking their first job. Youth employment on the rise. Youth employment is already accustomed to be a problem for most economies in the world. The US AI’s canary-in-the-mine figures show that the youth unemployment rate is increasing, especially in the technology sector. Veteran Goldman Sachs analyst Joseph Briggs stressed on the podcast Exchangesthat more than 3% of young people between 20 and 30 years old have lost their jobs in technology since the beginning of the year, and the big layoffs made by companies such as Microsoft, Google and Meta directly affect this generational group. Are replaced by other engineers with more experience. In Xataka | Amazon’s CEO has put his cards on the table: “We expect AI to reduce our total workforce in the coming years” Image | Unsplash (Vitaly Gariev)

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