AI Is Creating an Identity Crisis for Software Engineers – Business Insider
March 9, 2026
The speed at which AI is reshaping software development — measured in months, not years — is stirring a mix of excitement and anxiety. Last week, the tech company Block laid off more than 40% of its workforce, saying the cuts reflected AI-driven efficiencies.
For some software developers, there is an added reckoning: If the core act of coding — long a source of status and identity — becomes automated, what does it actually mean to be an engineer?
The threat isn’t just displacement. It’s a total recalibration of identity.
Annie Vela, who is quoted in this article, wrote “The Software Engineering Identity Crisis” a year ago.
A year ago we ran our first Unconference around the topic of AI and software engineering. At that time, I felt a lot of the participants, very experienced software engineers with years, if not decades, of professional experience, were still more sceptical about AI and software engineering than I expected.
Was that a kind of defence mechanism against this coming challenge to a very important part of our professional identity?
