Work Smarterer, Not Harderer: Notes on an AI Future
I’ve made plenty of posts and comments that may read as bearish on AI.
To be clear: I am extremely bullish on AI.
AI has already proven to be a massive force multiplier. I’ll be sharing projects I’ve consulted on soon that demonstrate this definitively. Over the past year, I’ve been leaning hard into agentic software development: pushing AI coding agents to the limits (of my budget) and applying everything I’ve learned and refined over my career. Systems thinking; automated code quality; iterative feedback loops; small batch sized work; CI/CD; strong security posture... and a growing pile-o-hard earned heuristics.
It’s undeniable how far AI has come. The key phrase here is force multiplier; and, ultimately, improving quality of life for humans. This is an incredible time to be building. As an industry, we will be creating more opportunity than ever. We will need more knowledgeable humans, not fewer, to capitalize on what’s coming.
That is why I’ve been scratching my head at how the market has shaken out over the past year: mass layoffs; an over-rotation away from junior roles; the revival of hustle culture and 996-style expectations; and inflaming senior developer burnout. Many experienced engineers I’ve spoken with are already signaling exits from the industry.... Also yes, there was organizational dysfunction and inefficiency that needed correcting; but I think you know what I’ll say next here: something about throwing babies and bathwater (which is a weird phrase imo).
Since leaving my last full-time product engineering role, I’ve been consulting to see what’s actually happening on the ground across different projects, industries/domains: a bit of Genchi Genbutsu. One of the most exciting patterns I’ve seen is underserved markets outside the tech bubble becoming more reachable. Non-technical people are building functional solutions and validating markets themselves. This is incredible, and I am fully here for it.
To me, this signals an upcoming explosion of opportunity. I cannot predict the exact timeline; my crystal ball has never been great. But! My gut tells me it is coming.
So lean into agentic software development. Lean into continual learning. The more you know, the more AI multiplies your abilities. If you're in leadership: invest in building your people so they too can become force multipliers. & remember, force multiplier !== 996 hustle hard (which we already know, leads to burnout, fast).
Work Smarterer.
Not Harderer.
