Business Insider reports that many tech workers are spending nights and weekends learning and experimenting with AI tools to keep pace with rapid change. The article profiles Maahir Sharma, a 24-year-old software engineer at a Big Tech company, who says AI has sped some tasks and that he spends about 20 hours a week outside work experimenting with tools such as Cursor, which he pays for out of pocket. The story cites the EY Agentic AI in the Workplace Survey (Oct 2025) — a poll of 1,148 US desk workers across six industries at companies with $1B+ in revenue — which found 85% were learning about agentic AI outside work and 83% said their knowledge was self-taught. Business Insider also notes that AI-related skills top LinkedIn’s fastest-growing skills list for 2026, reflecting strong hiring demand.
