If AI writes most of the code, what are engineers actually getting paid for?
Mostly for deciding what to build, directing the agents, reviewing what they produce, and owning the result.
Here’s what software engineering looks like in 2026.
Timestamps:
00:00 SWE in 2026
01:06
Being good with AI won’t make you special in 2026.
But being bad with it will filter you out.
Basically, companies now want you fast with AI, but skeptical of everything it spits out.
AI didn’t kill software engineering. It changed what companies are willing to pay for.
Nobody’s paying you to write boilerplate anymore.
System design, debugging, reviewing AI code, and building AI into products are where the real value is now.
Timestamps:
00:00 | The Data
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day
teach a man to Claude Code and you financially ruin him with distracting side projects for the rest of his life
