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

(00:00) - Intro
(01:04) - Andres' Journey
(05:15) - Tech Layoff Cycle
(26:12) - Why AI?
(30:58) - What is Red Mage?
(36:12) - AI as a Tool
(41:55) - AInxiety
(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

Layoffs to Leadership w/ Andres Sepulveda Morales