Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be a transformative force in the tech industry, especially in software engineering, said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta. On Joe Rogan’s podcast, Zuckerberg said that AI at Meta is close to the level of mid-level software engineers, which could change the job market.
Zuckerberg envisions AI doing the routine coding work by 2025, which would cut costs by a huge amount. Mid-level engineers at Meta are currently making mid-six figures, so AI-driven automation is an attractive alternative. This isn’t just happening at Meta. Recently, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that more than 25 percent of Google’s new code is AI-generated, with human oversight limited to reviews. Like IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna, who in 2023 said AI could replace up to 30% of back office roles, AI is becoming a key part of the back office in many industries.

These advancements are cause for concern about job displacement but also point to a changing role for engineers. With AI doing the repetitive coding work, human developers may be able to spend more time on strategic problem-solving and overseeing AI outputs. This could result in a shift of entry-level coding roles to higher-level expertise.
But it’s not a bleak scenario for engineers. With AI-driven workflows, developers can tackle more creative and impactful challenges. While AI can be used to automate many tasks, human engineers are still needed to solve complex problems that AI cannot handle, reinforcing the importance of core technical and critical thinking skills.
Meta isn’t the only company to adopt AI. Fintech leader Klarna recently cut 20% of its workforce as AI began to take over many of the operational tasks. The shift, according to CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski, is a result of AI’s efficiency, which is part of a broader industry trend toward automation. With AI progressing, engineers and aspiring developers must learn to complement AI with skills to stay relevant in a fast-changing environment.