# The Robots Aren’t Coming For Your Jobs | Venture For America, Pittsburgh Robotics Network | Jenny Sharpe

- Show: [TRADEOFFS](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs)
- Published: 2026-09-16
- Length: 1h 01m
- Episode: 16
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne
- Listen: https://tradeoffs.fm/16

## Summary

Jenny Sharpe, Director of Workforce Development for the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, discusses the hiring challenges in the robotics industry, arguing that the problem is a mismatch of talent rather than a shortage. She shares her background founding Serving Earth and working at ActiveVR, highlighting how timing and product-market fit are critical for hardware startups. Sharpe explains how outdated government occupational codes (ONET) fail to capture deep tech roles, creating barriers for workforce development, and offers advice for early-career engineers to stand out in an AI-saturated job market.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=0) Introduction: Jenny Sharpe and the Pittsburgh Robotics Network
- [2:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=167) Early Hardware Ventures: Serving Earth and Metracycle
- [9:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=564) Venture for America and Building Entrepreneurial Literacy
- [15:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=924) Lessons from ActiveVR and the VR Hardware Cycle
- [25:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=1528) The Disconnect Between Deep Tech Jobs and Government Codes
- [35:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=2133) The Entry-Level Crisis and AI's Impact on Hiring
- [43:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=2595) Advice for Job Seekers: Networking and Storytelling
- [52:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne#t=3154) Pittsburgh Pitch and Future of Humanoid Robots

## Topics

- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Pittsburgh Robotics Network (company)
- Venture for America (company)
- Serving Earth (product)
- Metracycle (company)
- ActiveVR (company)
- Aison (company)
- Rivers Agile (company)
- OpenAI (company)
- Zoox (company)
- Carnegie Mellon (company)
- NVIDIA (company)
- Aramark (company)
- Cisco (company)
- Mad Works (company)
- Halt Prize (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [BONUS: A Look Inside the 2022 A3 Business Forum](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-02-22-bonus-a-look-inside-the-2022-a3-business-forum) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS - IPC President and CEO John Mitchell on Talent Shortages at APEX 2023 - EMSNOW & SCOOP On Location](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2023-02-02-bonus-ipc-president-and-ceo-john-mitchell-on-talent-shortages-at-apex-2023-emsno) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [State of hiring in the robotics market with Jeff Chapman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-08-03-state-of-hiring-in-the-robotics-market-with-jeff-chapman) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [How Skills Matchmaking Technology Fills Critical Manufacturing Jobs with FactoryFix.com's Patrick O'Rahilly](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-04-13-how-skills-matchmaking-technology-fills-critical-manufacturing-jobs-with-factory) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [BONUS: Hear what Investors, Educators, and High Growth Companies have to say about the future of Robotics, Automation, and AI, Pt. 1 of 2 (brought to you by Cascadia Capital)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-06-21-bonus-hear-what-investors-educators-and-high-growth-companies-have-to-say-about) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-09-16-the-robots-arent-coming-for-your-jobs-venture-for-america-pittsburgh-robotics-ne. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to TRADEOFFS.