OpenAI · Google · Amazon · New York · ChatGPT · The Guardian Technology
Chasing new skills, going back to basics and pushing for collective action: how software engineers are adapting to AI
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Every weekday, Matt, a software engineer, looks forward to his four-hour train commute to Pawling, New York.
Key facts
- In December 2013, President Barack Obama launched a $4bn initiative called Computer Science for All to teach computer science to all American students, calling it the “new basic” skill for economic
- In their race to build and run models, OpenAI reportedly spent $8bn and Anthropic is expected to have burnt $3bn last year
- US tech job postings on Indeed also dropped 36% from 2020 to 2025
- The same year, coding bootcamps exploded, producing more than 2,000 graduates, which rose more than 1000% by 2020, according to coding bootcamp tracking organization Course Report
Summary
“I am actively trying to keep my axe sharp,” said Matt, who did not want to use his actual name, to protect his employment. His career as a software engineer, which typically has paid more than $200,000 annually, used to feel like a sure thing. For a generation of workers like Matt, software engineering promised stability, security and upward mobility. Software engineering was one of the biggest and best-paying professions in the US in 2022, with 1.5 million practitioners earning twice the national median salary, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.