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Building tech’s talent pool in Philly | Morning Newsletter

Plus, Pa.’s first Black female state representative

Attendees at last year's Philly Tech Week. This year's event, which will be held virtually, runs from Sept. 21-25.
Attendees at last year's Philly Tech Week. This year's event, which will be held virtually, runs from Sept. 21-25.Read moreTechnically Philly
    by Katie Krzaczek
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Katie Krzaczek here, filling in for Taylor, who’s enjoying some time off.

Expect sunny skies but colder temps with a high of 28.

Silicon Valley tech companies have gone through a rash of layoffs, but tech talent in the Philly area is in short supply as businesses are scooping up employees — some of whom were remote workers affected by the firings.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Katie Krzaczek (@hashtagkatie, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Philly-area employers see recent mass layoffs in Silicon Valley as an opportunity to recruit good talent

Big tech companies based in Silicon Valley — like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Meta, Twitter, Coinbase, and Spotify — have laid off over 50,000 employees lately. Not all layoffs were skilled tech jobs, though, and the reality for most companies, including Philadelphia employers, is a continuing shortage of skilled technologists and a desire to hire more.

What are local experts saying?

  1. “We routinely confuse the difference between tech jobs,” which exist in all industries, “and jobs in tech,” which include business functions within a tech-focused company. If you’re a local worker recently laid off, “the prospects are good if you’re a highly skilled professional with a prestigious company on your resume.” — Christopher Wink, cofounder and CEO of Technical.ly, a news organization that serves the tech and start-up community.

  2. “Philadelphia has not had the same profile of being a tech ecosystem” as some other cities. But local companies now see “a unique opportunity to try to build the concentration of tech talent we have here in our region.” — Sarah Steltz, vice president of economic competitiveness for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.

Keep reading to see what makes Philly a unique place for tech talent as the return to work presents more opportunities.

Congresswoman Summer Lee is the state’s first Black female representative

Summer Lee, 35, has been challenging authority since she was a teenager arguing with a substitute teacher about Christopher Columbus’ role in history. That’s according to her mother, whose family has roots in the civil rights movement.

Lee was recently sworn in as the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress, an accomplishment she likens to breaking ceilings made not of glass but of cement. “You’re here for an uncomfortable job,” Lee said. “Your role is to kind of just chip away at” a system that is “deeply entrenched.”

The full story about Lee’s journey from a student who was “very vocal, defiant, and questioning of authority” to Congress and how the progressive movement has upended the political landscape in Western Pennsylvania can be read here.

What you should know today

  1. The Philadelphia sheriff’s top legal adviser has been doing criminal defense work in Philadelphia courts, an apparent violation of the city’s ethics rules.

  2. No candidate running for mayor has more money in the bank than Allan Domb, known as the “condo king,” who lent $5 million to his own mayoral campaign. A new Inquirer analysis breaks down the money race for Philadelphia mayor.

  3. In a tense exchange, ex-Mayor Michael Nutter grilled mayoral candidate Jeff Brown about the inner workings of city government — and things got a little awkward.

  4. Eight women who were 14 to 17 years old when they were forced into prostitution at the Days Inn on Roosevelt Boulevard will share a $24 million settlement.

  5. Longwood Gardens agreed to acquire a 505-acre Delaware estate that was home to a member of the du Pont family.

  6. A conservative parent group that opposes equity initiatives in schools filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging that the Lower Merion School District’s affinity groups and cultural competency lessons are racist.

  7. Even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meteorologists and computer models say the groundhog might be a little clueless, especially based on recent trends.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

Philly had its warmest January on record since what year?

a. 1927

b. 1984

c. 1932

d. 2008

Find out if you know the answer.

What we’re...

🏈 Planning: Eagles fans in Arizona won’t be able to tailgate, but there’s plenty of other fun to be had at the Super Bowl.

🎶 Listening to: Big Thief, who are playing Franklin Music Hall tomorrow night.

🌊 Reading: About the rising sea levels of the Delaware River. 🔑

Anagram

Hint: A Grammy-nominated Philly rock band.

DOT HUG WARRENS

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Congrats to Richard Brasch, who correctly guessed Thursday’s answer: State Farm Stadium. Email us if you know the answer.

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