☕ The Stories We Hear
I guess you’ve all heard stories like this:
He pushed code at 9:00 AM, HR pushed him out at 9:05 AM.
Another one said he went to work in the morning, and his desk had turned into a “wellness area” with free snacks and coffee.
These stories sound like jokes. But they tell a simple truth.
Programming has changed. The requirements of yesterday are not the same today.
📉 The Harsh Reality
In the last couple of years, thousands of tech workers have been laid off not because tech is dying, but because it’s changing faster than people can adapt.
- Microsoft cut over 6,000 roles in 2025, partly to “restructure for AI efficiency.”
- Google’s parent company, Alphabet, removed 12,000 jobs in 2023 their biggest cut ever.
- Amazon has been downsizing teams repeatedly, aligning with automation and AI initiatives.
The message is clear: being a technical person isn’t enough anymore.
AI can already code, test, optimize, and debug faster than most humans. Competing head-to-head is pointless.
🧭 The Shift From Technical to Human
After years of writing code, I realized something humbling: AI is more technical than me.
It doesn’t forget syntax, doesn’t need coffee, and doesn’t ask for vacation.
So, instead of fighting it, I gave up trying to out-code it.
I decided to focus on what AI can’t do:
- Having a physical presence working directly with teams and clients.
- Expanding my knowledge across different fields: infrastructure, security, even design thinking.
- Improving communication and project management.
- Learning just enough of other languages and frameworks to understand the big picture.
- And yes even latte art. (If I can’t beat the AI in code, I can at least make the best coffee for the boss.)
Most importantly, I learned how to work with AI efficiently giving it direction, context, and correction.
🚀 The Unexpected Payoff
At first, it felt like giving up. But soon, the results started to show.
I led a small project on AI-based food loss reduction, and it got featured in a local newspaper.
Later, I built an automation system for restaurant robots, which caught the attention of the city mayor.
He attended the demo and I received formal recognition.
None of that would’ve happened if I’d stayed focused only on coding syntax.
By shifting from “How do I write this function?” to “How do I make this system work?”, I opened doors I never knew existed.
🔑 The Lesson
The new world doesn’t need thousands of programmers who all know the same thing.
It needs fewer people who understand how everything connects humans who can plan, guide, and collaborate with AI.
So don’t try to out-code AI.
- Out-think it.
- Out-plan it.
- Out-human it.
Because the ones who can work with AI not against it will be the ones who build the future.
And maybe, like me, they’ll realize that when ChatGPT steals your job, it might just write you a better résumé too.
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