“My name is Robert, I am a developer and I hope AI is going to take my job soon”
This was my line when my friend asked me to introduce myself at her birthday. I did not know what I wished for is already going to become true in a couple of months.
I have been a software engineer all my adult life. I was never in love with the field, but it used to be an easy way to make lots of money, work on interesting problems, and have the flexibility to work from anywhere. All those perks brought me to incredible places, and I feel incredibly grateful.
I tried my first AI coding tool at the end of 2024, and I was instantly hooked. When my free quota ended, I was rushing to give them my credit card details. The fastest purchase of my life. It made life so much easier, I could not imagine going back to the old way after that experience.
Up until the end of last year, I was still writing code by hand. The tools were good, but I had no confidence in handing over full control to them. I was also resisting the change, I had no motivation or energy to learn the new way.
But if everyone around me is using these tools, I am creating myself a disability if I don't embrace them. I pushed myself. Spent way too much time on X to see what the cool kids are doing, talked to colleagues, experimented with agents.
Since the beginning of 2026, I haven't wrote a single line of code by hand. It is wild. I could have never imagined this a few years ago. There is no way for a human to compete with the machine when it comes to output. Software engineering as I know it is officially dead.
The shift in AI capabilities brought to surface a bunch of uncomfortable questions that have been sitting dormant inside my subconscious. Suddenly, I could not ignore them anymore.
What is my role in the cycle if the machine is doing a 100x better job? Do I enjoy building software? If not programming, what am I supposed to do with my life? Is there even a future for me in building products?
It's not the first time I am going through this. I already had a meltdown from software back in 2022, when I decided to leave everything behind, fly to New Zealand and try to become a hiking guide. But that did not work out. I realised I still like all the benefits software engineering brought.
My goal back then was to find a company where I can resonate with the mission, find a role that fits my lifestyle, and become the best developer I can to become invaluable to the company. I got exactly what I dreamed of, and spent almost 4 years building software for Snag. I learned a ton in the process, wrote more about it in my farewell post when I left the company a few months ago.
I work the best if I understand the problem I am solving. I need to see how a given product will be used by people, and feel that I have a saying in how to shape the product. If these exists, and I can somewhat connect to the product's vision, I am happy. At least that was the case up until now.
But AI changes the game. Suddenly there is no engineering problem that requires lots of thinking, trial and errors, and long hours spent in the state of flow. AI removed the joy of software engineering that helped me to keep going in the moments I felt disconnected from the purpose of the product.
As I am writing this, two agents are working on two different projects. I am excited about it, because I am solving my own problems. All my life I had a lots of ideas, but lacked the time or energy to execute them. Now I can do it with a couple of prompts, and it feels pretty exciting.
One of the apps started as a toy on a Sunday evening to support the “Mother of All Side Quests” project. Thirty minutes later, I already made 3 revisions and was using it the next day. Two months has passed since, and that app is growing into something exciting. I even reached out to a potential client yesterday!
Because my mind is fully connected to the vision and I am in the position to drive the product, I feel alive. AI and me work in synergy. I bring the creativity, the problem, and the direction. AI brings the raw power, speed and reliability.
Let's take the example of another project, where I don't feel fully connected to the vision. I can see it, but it is hazy. Right now, the engineering challenges still keep me excited. Architecting a solid foundation, setting up the infrastructure, making sure the system is functional.
But that's not where my strength is. The core of why I love building is because a piece of software I ship solves a real world problem I feel connected to. If I didn't connect fully to the problem, I could have resorted back to the engineering challenges, but that is not the case anymore.
AI helped me to get rid of the part of the job that I never really liked, and shines light on the pain of being disconnected from the mission. What used to be a nice to have is a non negotiable now.
There is no other way, but to find projects where I am fully aligned with the vision and I can clearly see the problem I am solving. The resistance to the work I am doing comes up much faster thanks to AI.
I am grateful for AI taking my job. All my life I thought my job is to write code, but it always was solving problems. I used software for that up until now, but thanks to the machine, I can broaden my horizon.
What are the problems I want to solve? Can I leverage the robots to help me get there faster? Maybe I can even ditch the computer, and start hosting self-guided solo silent retreats in the middle of the mountains? Who knows!
AI pushed me outside the box I was so comfortable all my life. While inside it was cozy and felt safe, it was also shrinking my world. It kept me being locked into a way of life that I am not sure it was mine in the first place.
How is your life changing because of AI? Do you feel hopeful about the future of work or rather throw away all the technology and live off grid? I would love to hear from you!
See you next week,
Robert.