Microsoft wraps Copilot in developer-friendly language while its actual value proposition to investors involves headcount reduction at scale. Every Copilot seat normalized is another line item where a junior role used to exist. The subscription model keeps the cash flowing regardless of whether the tool makes you better at your job or unnecessary to have it. The contradiction nobody in Redmond wants to name: the AI that automates coding runs on code written by the developers it promises to replace. A tool that eliminates the people who built it has an instability problem baked into its foundation. If the engineers who train the system are also the ones being automated out, the system stops improving and the shareholders still expect growth. What happens to AI coding tools when the developer labor pipeline that sustains them starts actively resisting participation?
Where I work, it’s under staffed. The leading hypothesis is management is frothing at the mouth waiting to replace everyone with AI.
They’re really pushing AI, even though this org doesn’t have software fundamentals down. The tech lead on my team is nice enough, in a distant sort of way, but by his own admission has no knowledge of unit testing.