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Tech hiring is evolving rather than dying, with AI-specific startups thriving despite big tech layoffs. AI tools amplify developer productivity by 1.25-1.75x, meaning teams need fewer but more skilled engineers who can leverage these tools effectively. Both senior and junior developers are starting from zero with AI adoption, creating a level playing field for those willing to learn and adapt to this React-like inflection point in the industry.

Tech hiring in the AI era: Why everyone’s at zero

How AI amplifies developers instead of replacing them, and why this is the React moment all over again.

It’s always been like this. Languages changed, IDEs had become more complex, then cloud, IaC, new architectures designed for new problems. Remember times when unit testing was a new thing? Many saw it as some exotic dilution. Remember how those test looked like in the beginning.
I am only a little over a decade in the industry but I don’t think I had a year of plateau where there was nothing new to learn. AI stuff for devs is one of the easiest thing to catch up so far and I don’t understand the amount of FOMO around it recently.
I mean adapt - yes, as you always had to. But don’t stress this much. If you’re a week ahead of something every developer can learn in a matter of days- you don’t build a sustainable edge.

Actually this makes sense. Adapt and or become obsolete. Learn seriously and become that trustworthy engineer everyone can rely on in the future.

I wouldn’t say that. Many times I had AI suggest performing some scripted operation on Linux what would have been harmful , if not destructive, if I wasn’t familiar with it from the start. Many people just take the suggestion from AI and run with it. I’m not talking about the numerous times it would suggest something obvious like <code>rm -fr ./*</code>. But things like a nuanced package management suggestion such as Pinning version priority to a release that is incorrect from what is the current, something a junior would likely not understand.
So no, everyone is not at zero; however, if you actually buy into this your startup or project may go to zero.

Smaller teams are the future (or maybe even the present?). I do expect to see way more companies and teams though