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A New Term for an Old Problem: Why Employees Are "Quiet Cracking" in the Age of AI
A New Term for an Old Problem: Why Employees Are "Quiet Cracking" in the Age of AI
Some new terms are becoming popular in tech and cybersecurity careers, along with some unsettling workplace trends around burnout and fear of layoffs as AI gains ground in both the public and private sectors.
At the 2025 Black Hat Conference (August 2025) there continued to be a lot of discussion around tech and cyber jobs in the era of AI advancement, and these career topics resurfaced in multiple ways.
One hot topic is “quiet cracking,” which is a new take on the burnout theme. According to Forbes, here’s how the new term has emerged:
“When headlines introduce new workplace trends, they often capture our attention because they name something many people have long felt but struggled to articulate.
"The Great Resignation, characterized by workers’ abrupt departure from their places of employment that peaked during the pandemic, and quiet quitting, the silent disengagement employees felt when overworked and undervalued, are well-known examples.
"Now, another phrase has entered the conversation: 'quiet cracking.' It’s forced me to reflect on the conditions that lead so many employees to engage in either a flee response by quitting or a fight response by staying and struggling silently.
"Unlike quiet quitting, which was framed as a conscious choice or act of resistance, quiet cracking captures the experience of employees who feel stuck in their jobs but can’t leave. They push forward despite exhaustion, stress, and even panic attacks because the alternative feels riskier.”
“The newest trend, 'quiet cracking,' coined by TalentLMS, describes ongoing burnout and stagnation leading to disengagement and poor performance. Their research shows 20% of employees experience it frequently, and 34% occasionally. …
"While quiet quitting refers to workers who purposely slack off at a job they no longer want, quiet cracking refers to those who 'gradually become mired in feeling both unappreciated by managers and closed off from career advancement while doing work they otherwise like,' according to an article from Inc.
"Or, as TalentLMS puts it, people who feel 'some kind of workplace funk.'”
by Dan Lohrmann
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