The rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence is triggering profound anxiety among technology professionals regarding their career trajectories and future stability.
According to Deedy Das, a partner at the venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, these concerns stem from extensive conversations with individuals throughout the tech sector. Das highlighted several recurring worries, including the challenge of keeping pace with a continuous stream of technological breakthroughs, the viability of software engineering and product management as long-term career paths, and apprehension over whether joining or launching a startup will yield better professional opportunities.
“The level of anxiety that tech workers are experiencing is off the charts,” Das stated in a post on X on Wednesday.
He explained that professionals are questioning whether their roles remain relevant in the age of AI, alongside concerns about how the technology impacts their financial stability and personal lives.
“What does my career and skill set mean in the age of AI?” Das wrote. “Is software engineering still a viable 30-year career? What about product management?”
‘What is my purpose?’
These questions reflect a widespread concern among tech workers about the influence of AI on white-collar occupations, particularly in domains where automated systems can now generate code, draft documents, analyze data, and handle routine responsibilities.
Annie Wright, a psychotherapist and executive coach based in the Bay Area, told Themoneytimes in August that tech professionals are increasingly contemplating how their sense of identity might shift if their roles become automated.
The field of software engineering has been notably impacted by this transition, as Themoneytimes highlighted in its “The Great Coding Reset” series.
Das has previously explored the pressure that AI-assisted coding tools place on software engineers, pointing out that seasoned developers often find themselves reviewing and correcting vast quantities of AI-produced code.
In his latest post, Das detailed an even broader spectrum of fears. In addition to questioning their current employment, workers are uncertain if startups possess genuine competitive advantages or if the equity offered by these companies will hold substantial value in the future.
“Okay, I joined a startup. Is my company’s equity worth anything, or will this turn out to be another Airtable or Miro?” Das wrote. He was referencing two companies that were once valued at over $10 billion before being acquired by Bending Spoons this year at enterprise valuations of roughly $1.29 billion and $1.36 billion, respectively.
This professional uncertainty extends beyond the office. Das noted that individuals are also anxious about personal milestones, such as finding a romantic partner, navigating potential shifts in immigration policy, the feasibility of homeownership in the Bay Area, and raising children in a period of rapid societal transformation.
“Okay, I’ve figured all of that out. What is my purpose?” he wrote. “I’m wealthy, but no one really cares.”
Das emphasized that while these anxieties are not exclusive to the tech industry or the Bay Area, they seem to be particularly concentrated in that region compared to his observations in New York City.
“For the rest of you, just know that you are not alone in feeling this way. A lot of people are experiencing the same thing!” he added.