DEAR XIR

Letters from the Intersection

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DEAR XIR –

Not to be dramatic and all…but fam…

This might be our moment.

Been racking my brain, trying to make sense of what I'm seeing:

Microsoft cutting 6,000 jobs (nearly 3% of their global workforce).

LinkedIn reducing headcount significantly.

Carta showing founders slowing down hiring across the board

(shoutout to the homies Peter Walker for the best data storytelling).

My heart genuinely goes out to everyone affected.

That uncertainty is something I wouldn't wish on anyone (been there).

BUT...and a strong BUT...

What if these job cuts aren't just reductions?

What if they're strategic shifts in how companies think about talent?

Microsoft is investing $80 billion in AI infrastructure this year.

With the goal of:

The market is sending us a signal.

The layoffs. The reorgs. This disruption.

It isn't closing doors for XIRs. It's creating them.

The Window We've Been Waiting For

Companies aren't just "reducing headcount."

They're genuinely rethinking how work gets done.

From my lens, they’re starting to move away from siloed specialists.

Towards connectors. Translators. Intersectional thinkers.

And it’s happening in real time:

CEO at Outlever, Melissa Rosenthal is focused on function vs. title and posted job looking for a Chief Dot / Angle Connector.

We were just hired by a scaling $2B startup to work as cross-functional consultants → Translation: XIRs lol

This isn't theoretical anymore. The work is out there.

Economic Downturn = New Opportunities

So what if the jobs getting cut are those that couldn't survive the intersection?

What if what we're seeing is the intersection emerging in real time?

When traditional models break, new ones can emerge.

We see it across history.

Late 1800s: Rockefeller built his empire during the Panic of 1873.

2008: Airbnb launched during the recession.

Transformative ventures are born when systems were in flux.

It is when everything crumbles when new infrastructure gets rebuilt.

2025 going in 2026 will be the time when companies finally realize:

The linear labels that once words have failed nonlinear leaders.

The future will belongs to the translator. The dot connector.

The real question is: Are you ready to step into it?

3 Ways to Position Yourself Now

If you've been waiting for your moment – this might be it.

Here's how to take advantage (straight from the XIR Playbook v.01):

1. Identify Your Unique Intersections

   • Map where your skills naturally bridge traditional departments

   • Document specific outcomes you've created through cross-functional thinking

2. Translate Your Value Into ROI Language

   • Quantify how your intersectional approach saves resources (1 XIR = 3 specialists)

   • Frame your pitch around efficiency and integration in uncertain markets

3. Position Yourself as a Strategic Solution

   • Target conversations with leaders managing post-layoff team gaps

   • Demonstrate how your cross-functional abilities solve their immediate challenges

The Bottom Line

Let me be clear for the people in the back

(who tend to be dusty…not y’all of course…never y’all)

This IS NOT about exploiting chaos.

What I am saying is that amidst this shakeup,

there is undeniable space being created.

Space for a different kind of talent.

Space for unconventional builders.

Space for XIRs.

You MUST do your part.

Put in the work and start becoming more vocal about your unique intersections

and how they give you an advantage in a volatile market.

In every major shift, there are those who cling to the old ways,

and those who build the new ones.

I'm not big on either/or type of choices…

But if you're reading this, I already know which side you're building on. 😉

The future belongs to the intersection.