Or possibly just written at an AI level of self-awareness. The irony of an AI written article injecting AI alarmism so hamfistedly would be quite something... but not impossible I guess.
If it is AI, this is the easiest type of AI content to generate: a summary of a small, delimited text corpus, with some generic filler added.
If it isn't AI, it's still nevertheless low-effort and (IMHO) doesn't belong on HN. The primary journalistic source (Fortune) should replace it.
Look at this before/after comparison, how lazily they (or it) paraphrased the source material:
> [Primary] "Between 2017 and 2022, the share of job postings at Google requiring a degree dropped from 93% to 77%, according to analysis from the Burning Glass Institute."
> [Derivative] "Data from the Burning Glass Institute shows that in 2017, degree requirements were part of 93% of job postings at Google. By 2022, that figure had dropped to 77%."
Or this:
> [Primary] "And Google isn’t alone: companies including Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco have reduced degree requirements in recent years, signaling a broader industry shift toward skills-based hiring."
> [Derivative] "Other large tech companies have also begun judging candidates by their abilities instead of their diplomas. Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco are among those dropping degree mandates."
andrewflnr|1 month ago
perihelions|1 month ago
https://fortune.com/2026/01/12/google-founder-sergey-brin-hi... ( https://archive.is/fefa9 )
If it is AI, this is the easiest type of AI content to generate: a summary of a small, delimited text corpus, with some generic filler added.
If it isn't AI, it's still nevertheless low-effort and (IMHO) doesn't belong on HN. The primary journalistic source (Fortune) should replace it.
Look at this before/after comparison, how lazily they (or it) paraphrased the source material:
> [Primary] "Between 2017 and 2022, the share of job postings at Google requiring a degree dropped from 93% to 77%, according to analysis from the Burning Glass Institute."
> [Derivative] "Data from the Burning Glass Institute shows that in 2017, degree requirements were part of 93% of job postings at Google. By 2022, that figure had dropped to 77%."
Or this:
> [Primary] "And Google isn’t alone: companies including Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco have reduced degree requirements in recent years, signaling a broader industry shift toward skills-based hiring."
> [Derivative] "Other large tech companies have also begun judging candidates by their abilities instead of their diplomas. Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco are among those dropping degree mandates."
jeron|1 month ago
01-_-|1 month ago
burkaman|1 month ago
RankingMember|1 month ago