🧠 “AI is replacing all software engineers forever…”

Mohamad Hassoun — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:28:22 +0000

Yeah…

I’ve seen this headline enough times that I’m starting to think AI is writing them just to hype itself.

Let’s get something straight:

AI today (mostly LLMs) is not “thinking intelligence.”

It’s more like a very confident autocomplete system that occasionally sounds like it went to Stanford.

Now the real question:

Can it replace software engineers?

Short answer: no.

Long answer: also no, but with extra steps.

Because software engineering isn’t just “writing code.”

It’s building systems that constantly chase a moving target called reality.

Take cars for example:

We started with simple ECUs → then fuel optimization → then gear shifting → then safety systems → then self-driving → then

“why is my car updating like my phone at 3 AM?”

Every time we automate yesterday’s work… tomorrow shows up with new requirements.

So even if AI could magically replace today’s engineers (spoiler: it can’t), that would only mean:

“Congrats, you made yesterday’s engineering cheaper.”

Cool. Now what about tomorrow’s features?

Oh right… they don’t exist yet.

And here’s the loop nobody likes:

AI helps build current systems faster
Companies reduce engineers
New complexity shows up anyway
Engineers are rehired
Everyone pretends the cycle is new again

At best, AI is a very powerful intern.

At worst, it’s an intern who sometimes confidently deletes production.

Reality check:

Job postings are still rising 📈
AI adoption is increasing… but (ROI)or return on investment is still low
Engineers are not disappearing, they’re just getting faster tools

So no, this isn’t “the end of software engineering.”

It’s more like:

“We upgraded the tools… and somehow people thought we deleted the builders.”