AppleInsider has a post on Apple & recruiting, and it doesn't sound good for tech workers.

In the past, Apple has relied in part on recruiters to bring in the best and brightest Silicon Valley talent, but that might soon change, according to a report from VentureBeat. Citing an unnamed source, the publication said Apple's "recruiting engine" has slowed down drastically over the past few weeks.

If this was good news, it wouldn't get leaked the day of the earnings report. This means Apple isn't "surge" hiring. That'd mean Apple growth is likely a long-term bad bet. That means my stock is going to take another hit. It's already started.

Argh. I've lost thousands in the last year or so. Why I didn't sell at $120 when I was thinking about it, I don't know. I mean, long term, I guess I'd still pitch in with Apple, which is why I talked myself into leaving my money were it is, but there's something to be said for "profit taking".

To be clear, the "profit taking" proposition is this: Sell when you think they've peaked ($120, even though they eventually hit $130), then wait for the drop (say in a week, when it's $95), buy the same number of shares back, and you get the difference to put into your pocket (here, $25 a share over six months. Sheesh. I'm making myself crazy thinking about it). It's not a vote of no confidence. It's a guess for a temporary downturn, where you can get more stock for your money shortly, if you want, or keep your position with a lot of extra cash in your pocket. This is slightly different than selling short, but the mathes & idea are essentially the same.

But what's worse...

... is if you're a tech worker. If Apple's not recruiting, that's already a significant blow to your demand-side. I'm not sure if I'd label Apple as a canary just yet, but can't talk myself out of it either. If Apple doesn't see room for mad growth, and their software isn't the best of class, well, why should anyone look for mad growth? If I had to guess, I think the tech "lump", if it's not a bubble, is coming down for a while.

Shoulda tried to bite on that iCloud opening when I saw it. That could've been interesting. ;^)

Labels: apple, business, tech