If AI Takes the Jobs, Who Buys Its Products?

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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If companies require 20–40% fewer employees to do the same or better work, who will be left with salaries to buy the very products they make?

This material reflects my opinions and not those of my employers.

Are Software Engineers finally done? What history can tell us

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Research: The Evolution of Software Development Tools and the Changing Role of the Software Engineer, revised by Claude

This material reflects my opinions and not those of my employers.

Overview: A Recurring Promise

For more than six decades, each new generation of development tools has arrived with a bold promise: this time, we’ve made coding so simple that you won’t need skilled engineers anymore. It has never been true. What has happened instead is more interesting — each wave of abstraction raised the floor of what was possible, which raised the ceiling of what was expected, which demanded skilled practitioners. However, the skills required have evolved.

Software-Engineer on VDC

If AI Takes the Jobs, Who Buys Its Products?

If companies require 20–40% fewer employees to do the same or better work, who will be left with salaries to buy the very products they make?

Are Software Engineers finally done? What history can tell us

Research: The Evolution of Software Development Tools and the Changing Role of the Software Engineer, revised by Claude

Overview: A Recurring Promise