02 / The enemy
02 / 08
The question in the air
Is software engineering dead?
Layoffs are real. So is the wobble: “2020: I'm a Go engineer. 2026: I'm a…?”
Data: layoffs.fyi
03 / The turn
03 / 08
First, the obvious part
AI made code cheap.
42,896× more Claude Code commits in 13 months — the thing everyone fears losing was already the cheap part.
Data: SemiAnalysis via GitHub Search API, through 2026-02-02
05 / The heart
05 / 08
Taste & agency
Agency is now the scarce resource.
Everyone has the tools. Who thrives is individual, not categorical — not your title.
Chart: METR, task time horizons (80% success)
06 / The work
06 / 08
Harness · systems · guardrails
Models alone aren't enough. The harness is.
The harness tops the board — not just the raw model. Lots of problems left to solve.
Chart: Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index
07 / The opportunity
07 / 08
Huge value in vertical agents
AI is eating the world.
Every tile is a vertical agent being built right now — and that takes a lot of engineers.
Chart: AI agents market map
08 / The posture
08 / 08
The close
The future is bright.
I can't bend the arc of time — so I'll build, keep my taste sharp, and have an absurd amount of fun while this is still weird and new.
Chart: Indeed Hiring Lab
FIN