as a software engineer, i feel a real loss of identity right now.
for a long time i defined myself in part by the act of writing code. the pride in a hard-earned solution was part of who i was. now i watch AI accomplish in seconds what took me hours. i find myself caught between relief and mourning, awe and anxiety. the craft that shaped me is suddenly eclipsed by a machine. who am i now?
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The analogy that I was using with students and with everybody when talking about AI is:
We set up a structure that created really good bricklayers. Now that the bricklaying is automated, what the world needs are architects with ideas.
Or, instead of trumpet players, what they need are composers. As much as I keep seeing the space on AI encoding, that seems to be my north star
Jan 23, 2026 · 7:13 PM UTC
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