The rise of Artificial Intelligence has sparked fears across industries—but few feel the pressure more than software developers. Are their roles becoming obsolete, or is this just the beginning of a smarter, more strategic era in tech talent?
Todd McKinnon, CEO of identity and access management giant Okta, offers a confident answer:
“There’s going to be more software engineers in the future than there are today.”
Speaking to Business Insider, McKinnon compares today’s AI moment to the invention of compilers—once feared as job-killers, they instead supercharged developer productivity.
But while optimism runs high at the top, job market data tells a more complex story.
The Numbers Tell a Different Tale
- Software engineering job postings on Indeed have fallen by 35% since 2020.
- Companies like Shopify now require hiring managers to justify why a human is needed—over AI—for a given role.
- Major tech firms such as Block, Niantic, and 2U have executed developer layoffs in recent months, citing efficiency pressures and a need to do more with less.
These trends raise a logical question:
Is this just a cyclical correction, or is AI fundamentally reshaping the developer workforce?
McKinnon’s Take: AI Is an Amplifier, Not a Replacement
McKinnon believes we’re simply correcting for pandemic-era overhiring and that developers aren’t becoming obsolete—they’re evolving.
“AI will accelerate how engineers work, not replace the need for them,” he insists.
Indeed, tools like GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, and Replit’s Ghostwriter are streamlining tasks such as code generation, bug fixes, and documentation—but they also require human oversight, debugging, and creative application.
The new developer role isn’t just about writing code—
It’s about integrating, supervising, and optimizing AI-powered workflows.
Lean, Smart, Agile: The New Talent Playbook
AI’s real impact may not be in job loss, but in job reshaping. Across tech companies, we’re seeing a shift toward:
- Smaller teams with broader responsibilities
- Greater emphasis on AI tooling fluency
- Faster release cycles and iterative development
- A premium on product thinking over pure coding skill
At firms like Shopify, Duolingo, and Stripe, the bar for hiring has shifted: candidates must show they can work with AI, not compete against it.
This creates a new value curve for developers:
Those who embrace AI augmentation stand to lead the next wave of innovation.
UNI Network Group Perspective: AI and the Talent Stack
At UNI Network Group, we believe the AI-developer equation isn’t zero-sum—it’s synergistic. As AI takes over repetitive tasks, human developers are freed to focus on:
- Architecture design
- Ethical AI implementation
- Human-centered UI/UX
- Strategic decision-making
The future developer isn’t a coder in isolation—they’re a systems thinker, an AI integrator, and a collaborative innovator.
So, to the question:
Is AI killing developer jobs?
The answer is no—but it’s redefining what “developer” even means.
Source: In an interview – Todd McKinnon on AI & hiring