AI tools are slowly but gradually changing the Software Engineering profession. Although some might argue that the gains in productivity are overestimated, I think this is only the beginning. As those tools improve and evolve to become agentic, such as Devin AI, the industry has started to wonder if there will be much demand for Software Engineers, or even if AI could replace engineers altogether. I have colleagues reaching out to me and being worried about their career in a 18-month horizon. I guess Mark Zuckerberg’s recent statement in the now infamous “masculinity energy” Joe Rogan’s podcast episode is not helping either:

I think this year, probably in 2025, we at Meta […] are gonna have an AI that can effectively be a sort of mid-level engineer that you have at your company that can write code.

I was initially skeptical about AI’s impact within such a short timeframe. Then, I started to worry. Now, I believe we’re facing a rapid transformation, where Software Engineers must embrace AI tools and work at a higher level of abstraction—but we won’t be replaced. Yet.

In the short term, before we achieve AGI, I believe we humans still hold some advantage, and what will become increasingly important is our taste and creativity—qualities that LLMs can’t replicate yet. I agree with Lenny’s view here that Software Engineers need to become more focused on products and customer needs. Understanding customer pain points and figuring out what to build will be the most crucial skill. Engineering and Product Management may merge into a new role.

Will there be the same demand for this new Product Engineer role as there is for Software Engineers? I am optimistic about this and believe there will be even greater demand. This will likely continue until we reach AGI. After that, predictions become increasingly uncertain.