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Quick answer TrueUp counts 662 tech layoffs and 196,245 people affected so far in 2026, about 665 people per day. In all of 2025 it counted 783 layoffs and 245,953 people. October 2026 included large cuts at eBay (about 1,000 people, 9 percent ), Netflix (about 1,000, 6 percent ), and smaller rounds at Workday and Automattic. Whatever the headline total, the practical steps are the same: keep your skills and savings current, and be ready to move. Earlier posts called layoffs a new reality for Silicon Valley. Two years later they are a steady part of the tech calendar. This guide uses one tracker’s public numbers to show how big the wave is in 2026, notes which companies made recent cuts, and gives a practical checklist for staying ready, without guessing at causes that the data does not prove. 1. The Numbers So Far in 2026 TrueUp, which tracks layoffs at tech companies and startups, reports 662 layoffs and 196,245 people affected in 2026 as of October 22. That averages about 665 p...

Quick answer As of October 22, 2026 the total crypto market was about $2.83 trillion , with Bitcoin around $84,277 and about 59.7 percent of the market, per CoinGecko-based data. Not every Web3 project survived: CoinDesk reported on October 2 that the Ethereum layer-2 Blast is shutting down after its assets fell 98 percent from a peak of about $2 billion . The FBI says crypto-related complaints cost Americans more than $11 billion in 2025. Learn the red flags before you invest. The question “Web3: dead or evolving?” was popular when prices fell. In 2026 the picture is mixed. The market is large, Bitcoin dominates, and some projects have closed. This guide shows current market figures, explains what Web3 means in plain language, and focuses on what protects ordinary people: understanding risk and spotting scams. It is not investment advice. 1. The Market Today Total market cap: about $2.83 trillion on October 22, 2026. Bitcoin: about $84,277, with a market cap around $1.69 tr...

Quick answer Every current mainstream chipset tier has a Gen5 x4 M.2 slot connected to the CPU: AMD X870E, X870, and B850, and Intel Z890 and B860. A Gen5 SSD reads up to about 14,900 MB/s , roughly twice a fast Gen4 drive. It pays off for large files and big datasets, while Gen4 is enough for gaming and most creative work. For most builders, AMD B850 or Intel B860 is the sensible stopping point. Read the individual board’s spec table, because two boards with the same chipset can be wired differently. PCIe 5.0 SSDs are fast, but they only reach that speed in the right M.2 slot. Older guides list specific Z790 boards with prices from 2024, which no longer match what is on shelves. This guide explains which chipsets give you a Gen5 M.2 slot today, what the real speed gain is, and how to check a board before you buy. 1. What PCIe 5.0 Actually Gives You PCIe 5.0 signals at 32 GT/s per lane, twice the 16 GT/s of PCIe 4.0. A Gen5 x4 link carries about 15.75 GB/s in each direction, ...

Quick answer Use the default allocation unit size. How-To Geek notes you probably will not notice a difference in speed with a modern drive, and the default is tuned to the drive size. Pick the file system by where you use the drive: exFAT for Windows and Mac, NTFS for Windows only, APFS for Mac only. Formatting erases everything on the drive. Back up first. You may have seen advice to set an exact allocation unit size, such as 4KB for small files or 32KB for media, to speed up an external SSD . In practice, the file system you choose matters much more than the cluster size, and for most people the default is right. This guide explains what allocation unit size is, when changing it makes sense, and how to format an external SSD in Windows 11 or on a Mac. 1. What Allocation Unit Size Means Allocation unit size, also called cluster size, is the smallest chunk of space the file system uses to store a file. A bigger unit wastes more space on small files, but needs fewer lookups for ve...

Quick answer Tesla’s Robotaxi service runs in six U.S. metros, but Electrek reports the service areas are small slices of each city and low-speed routes dominate. Tesla says Robotaxi reached nearly 2 million cumulative unsupervised miles by the end of Q3. On the October 21 earnings call it said unsupervised FSD for customer cars is Q2 2027 and only inside Robotaxi zones. Zoox won the first U.S. approval for paid robotaxis with no human controls in July 2026 and planned to start charging for rides in Las Vegas. The old debate was whether Tesla’s camera-only approach could ever deliver a robotaxi, with rivals such as Zoox questioning its safety and timeline. In late 2026 there is more to measure. Tesla operates a Robotaxi service in several cities, Zoox has a federal exemption for a purpose-built vehicle, and Waymo has been operating for years. This guide summarizes what is verifiable today. 1. Where Tesla Robotaxi Runs Tesla says rides are offered in U.S. cities including Austin, D...

Quick answer Companies collect what you search, click, buy, and where you go, then use it to show ads and build profiles. Much of it is collected through apps, websites, and advertising IDs. You can limit a lot of it with seven settings: app tracking, advertising ID, location, app permissions, browser tracking, account privacy checkups, and a password manager with two-step verification. Children under 13 have extra protections under the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Have you ever seen an ad for something right after talking or searching about it? Often the explanation is simpler than a hidden microphone: companies combine your browsing, purchases, app activity, and location into a profile. This guide explains in plain language what personal data is, how it is used, and seven settings that give you more control. It also has a short section for talking with kids. 1. What Counts as Personal Data What you search for, watch, and buy. Places you go, from your ph...

Quick answer The FBI logged 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 and nearly $21 billion in losses. Investment fraud, phishing, and extortion were among the most reported. Verizon’s 2026 report says exploiting vulnerabilities is now the top way into breaches at 31 percent , ransomware appears in 48 percent of breaches, and 69 percent of ransomware victims did not pay. CISA’s four basic steps still cover most home users: strong passwords, multifactor authentication, spotting phishing, and updating software. Older security posts listed threats by name and urged readers to be careful. Two big reports now give measurable answers: the FBI’s Internet Crime Report for 2025 and Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report. This guide summarizes their main findings and turns them into four steps that protect ordinary people and small businesses. 1. What the FBI Report Says 1,008,597 complaints in 2025, up from 859,532 in 2024, with nearly $21 billion in reported losses. About 453,000 cyber-...