Layoffs to Leadership w/ Andres Sepulveda Morales
Aug 4, 2025·
·
3 min read
Into AI Safety
Andres Sepulveda Morales joins me to discuss his journey from three tech layoffs to founding Red Mage Creative and leading the Fort Collins chapter of the Rocky Mountain AI Interest Group (RMAIIG). We explore the current tech job market, AI anxiety in nonprofits, dark patterns in AI systems, and building inclusive tech communities that welcome diverse perspectives.
Reach out to Andres on his LinkedIn, or check out the Red Mage Creative website!
For any listeners in Colorado, consider attending an RMAIIG event: Boulder; Fort Collins
INTERVIEW RECORDED 2025.07.16; ASIDES RECORDED 2025.07.27
Chapters
00:00:00 ❙ Intro
00:01:04 ❙ Andres' Journey
00:05:15 ❙ Tech Layoff Cycle
00:26:12 ❙ Why AI?
00:30:58 ❙ What is Red Mage?
00:36:12 ❙ AI as a Tool
00:41:55 ❙ AInxiety
00:47:26 ❙ Dark Patterns and Critical Perspectives
01:01:35 ❙ RMAIIG
01:10:09 ❙ Inclusive Tech Education
01:18:05 ❙ Colorado AI Governance
01:23:46 ❙ Building Your Own Tech Community
00:01:04 ❙ Andres' Journey
00:05:15 ❙ Tech Layoff Cycle
00:26:12 ❙ Why AI?
00:30:58 ❙ What is Red Mage?
00:36:12 ❙ AI as a Tool
00:41:55 ❙ AInxiety
00:47:26 ❙ Dark Patterns and Critical Perspectives
01:01:35 ❙ RMAIIG
01:10:09 ❙ Inclusive Tech Education
01:18:05 ❙ Colorado AI Governance
01:23:46 ❙ Building Your Own Tech Community
Links
Tech Job Market
- Layoff tracker website
- The Big Newsletter article - Why Are We Pretending AI Is Going to Take All the Jobs?
- METR preprint - Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity
- AI Business blogpost - https://aibusiness.com/responsible-ai/debunking-the-ai-job-crisis
- Crunchbase article - Data: Tech Layoffs Remain Stubbornly High, With Big Tech Leading The Way
- Computerworld article - Tech layoffs surge even as US unemployment remains stable
- Apollo Technical blogpost - Ghost jobs in tech: Why companies are posting roles they don’t plan to fill
- The HR Digest article - The Rise of Ghost Jobs Is Leaving Job Seekers Frustrated and Disappointed
- A Life After Layoff video - The Tech Job Market Is Hot Trash Right Now
- Economy Media video - Will The Tech Job Market Ever Recover?
- Soleyman Shahir video - Tech CEO Explains: The Real Reason Behind AI Layoffs
Dark Patterns
- Deceptive Design website
- Journal of Legal Analysis article - Shining a Light on Dark Patterns
- ICLR paper - DarkBench: Benchmarking Dark Patterns in Large Language Models
- Computing Within Limits paper - Imposing AI: Deceptive design patterns against sustainability
- Communications of the ACM blogpost - Dark Patterns
- [Preprint] - A Comprehensive Study on Dark Patterns
Colorado AI Regulation
- Senate Bill 24-205 (Colorado AI Act) bill and webpage
- NAAG article - A Deep Dive into Colorado’s Artificial Intelligence Act
- Colorado Sun article - Why Colorado’s artificial intelligence law is a big deal for the whole country
- CFO Dive blogpost - ‘Heavy lift’: Colorado AI law sets high bar, analysts say
- Denver 7 article - Colorado could lose federal funding as Trump administration targets AI regulations
- America’s AI Action Plan document
Other Sources
- Concordia Framework report and repo
- 80,000 Hours website
- AI Incident Database website
- Bloomberg article - How an ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Brought the First Big Bust to AI Boom
- Cos blogpost - RAG Easily Explained
- HuggingFace blogpost - What Is MCP, and Why Is Everyone – Suddenly!– Talking About It?
- We and AI blogpost - Leaving AI explainers up to tech companies: What could go wrong?
- Politico article - Why Grok Fell in Love With Hitler
