The programmer profession is dead. Or is it?

Apparently, breaking into IT has become almost impossible. A fiery hello to all skillboxes and the like. Simply because juniors are no longer needed. One senior with an army of AI agents can do more, faster, and better than an entire department of juniors.

But even seniors themselves no longer feel safe. Just among my acquaintances, three people recently expressed a desire to drop everything and go live in the woods. Chop wood, catch fish, contemplate the fire, and reflect that the world is not what it used to be. I'm also thinking about it, by the way.

We are on the threshold of a new era, and it is unlike any before. It will not kill programmers, just as the excavator did not kill builders—it simply eliminated the jobs of those who dug the earth with a shovel. Every tool that lowers the barrier to entry does not shrink the market but expands it. It does not kill the profession but reshapes it, like a sculptor who cuts away the excess to create a new form.

Now we are witnessing the decline of the craftsman programmer. And in its place comes the architect programmer. The craftsman knows how to do it. The architect knows what and why. Previously, the former was in demand because hands were scarce. Now hands are almost free, and the head has become the scarcity.

The apocalypse is not coming. It is already here. It's just not at all what science fiction movies depict.

What are your feelings on this?

🔥 — AI will eventually replace us all
❤️ — neural networks will enhance us, but not replace us
😂 — I've already moved to the woods and am stocking up on popcorn