Advanced AI is moving into more sensitive territory, with Anthropic’s Mythos model raising questions around safety, access and control. At the same time, companies are redefining developer metrics from productivity to experience as a competitive advantage. With geopolitical tensions reshaping tech spending priorities, strategy is increasingly being written by both needed skills and global risk.

Senior freelancers defy stereotypes - A new Malt report shows experienced freelancers driving economic resilience in the UK, with 51% saying they would like to continue freelancing after retirement.

Contracting increase in 2026 - An Irish salary report suggests that more professionals will be moving away from permanent roles, driven by the additional flexibility on working arrangements and increased financial stability.

Leadership at scale in software teams - This research paper highlights how strategic leadership methodologies enable globally distributed engineering teams to maintain collaboration and focus on common success.

Project Glasswing - Anthropic’s Mythos model has been chosen as a tool to strengthen cybersecurity by identifying vulnerabilities faster than humans can. But reports of rogue access to a hacking capable Mythos prototype show how quickly defensive AI efforts can turn into liability if access control and oversight fail.

Developer experience beats productivity - An industry analysis argues that focusing on developer experience (not just productivity KPIs) yields better code quality, faster delivery cycles, and improves retention in competitive talent markets.

Finland attracts global tech talent

Finland is positioning itself less as a “small market” and more as a serious landing zone for international tech professionals. With a fast-track visa program, a stable regulatory environment and a strong quality-of-life proposition, the country is actively attracting U.S. tech talent that might previously have defaulted to larger European hubs.

Geopolitics is reshaping IT spend

IDC’s early outlook suggests the war in the Middle East is already impacting IT spending patterns, with security and resilience rising fast on the priority list. Organisations are reassessing vendor exposure, regional risk and supply chain dependencies, while budgets shift toward cybersecurity, cloud continuity and operational safeguards. For hiring and workforce planning, the signal is clear: instability doesn’t pause digital investment, it redirects it toward risk mitigation and infrastructure.

Scaling isn’t about new customers first

MIT Sloan points out a simple but often ignored insight: the best customers to study when expanding into new markets are often the ones you already have. By analysing which customer types adopt fastest, expand spend and generate the strongest long-term value, companies can identify the segments most likely to succeed in a new region. This approach reduces guesswork, improves go-to-market efficiency and helps teams avoid the common trap of scaling based on assumptions instead of evidence.

Joel’s Market Pulse Q1/2026

Joel Liukkonen takes us through the current state of the IT service market after another challenging year and what the situation looks like for tech professionals heading into 2026. Despite some positive signals emerging in the second half of 2025, the market remains far from a full recovery.

Join our upcoming live webinar: 11th of May at 9:00-10:00 (EEST, UTC+3)

We are hosting a webinar online for tech leaders and anyone building tech with the topic “Predictive analytics facilitating smarter decision making”. As data and AI are becoming more popular in topics and skills, tune in to learn new insights how they are linked to decision making.