Chasing new skills, going back to basics and pushing for collective action: how software engineers are adapting to AI
TL;DR
Software engineering was one of the best-paying professions in the US in 2022, but the advent of AI has disrupted it, leading to several layoffs and underemployment Every weekday, Matt, a software engineer, looks forward to his four-hour train commute to Pawling, New York. It’s time he uses to work on his own project: a browser-based video game for which he writes every line of code himself. “I am actively trying to keep my axe sharp,” said Matt, who did not want to use his actual name, to protect his employment.
Nauti's Take
For small teams, this is a workflow issue, not a culture debate. If AI mainly fills the pipeline with code to review, the first check should be whether understanding, debugging depth, and long-term maintainability are actually improving, or whether you are just getting more output with weaker engineering judgment.
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