The 5 Kinds Of Tech People Who Will Survive AI

There are 5 kinds of tech people who will thrive in the near future.

I also think everyone else is probably screwed?

Yeah yeah, I know, AI is not good enough to replace actual software engineers yet, I hear ya…

But there’s reality and then there’s reality, and reality is that if AI can 💩 out code that “works,” it’s going to replace people because it’s cheaper. And it’s also going to get better, so it can “replace” more people until either it can actually replace people or the whole industry becomes such a garbage fire that trying to predict is pointless.

The future is weird, right? So even if you disagree with the premise, the advice below still applies to you… think of it as a list of the 5 kinds of people who are future-proof in general.

The Well Connected

Your CTO probably writes worse code than you. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a developer who thinks their CTO is technically competent.

So if it’s not tech skills… why? Why are they your CTO?

Is it age? Experience? Track record?

Yeah, timeInIndustry is a factor… but what happens when you’re in an industry for a long time?

You meet people.

Provided they didn’t start the company or get promoted early on, your CTO is almost certainly well-connected. The well-connected developer with average tech skills will always outcompete the genuinely talented developer no one knows.

This applies to every single kind of job, by the way. Not just tech.

And networks don’t just mean access to the hidden job market.

Having a strong, diverse network means you can pivot. You can stay ahead. You can learn from people, hear from people, and ask people for favours.

AI can’t touch this. Real relationships based on real trust are irreplaceable.

The Highly Visible

Social proof. You want social proof. Proof that you’re a real person, a valuable person, a person worth listening to and working with.

Social proof scales with your public personal brand and the people who can be seen to know you.

I mostly mean LinkedIn followers.

Or YouTube or github stars or whatever. But since this is a blog for developers, I mostly mean LinkedIn.

Yeah, it’s dumb. Yeah, it’s not really fair. Follower count a noisy signal at best for competence. It’s mostly static.

So what? People see signal. So broadcast, baby. Become visible. Pick a platform and do the dance. Polish your presence and make yourself look not just competent, but put together and aesthetic. You are your vibe.

Feels bad, right? Just wait for the next one.

The Winners

My most prized possession is the 4th place ribbon I got in high jump in grade 8.

Luckily I’ve had some wins since then.

Wins are career currency.

You want to be able to point at this, this and this thing you did and explain how much money it made.

Be crass. Take credit. Because people hire you for wins. No one gives a shit about the code, they give a shit about how much revenue it drove or how much money you saved on AWS costs.

For example, I re-scoped a core component of a $2m project and saved $700k on development costs while delivering the exact same functionality to the users. Do you want to save 35% on your development costs? Because I, empirically, can save you 35% on your development costs.

Simplify the process. Talk about the outcomes. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you bloviate about how you achieved those outcomes. Tie those outcomes to money and hammer the point home.

This is why sales people can outearn their CEOs. They can point to a big shiny 7 digit number and say “I did that.” Even if AI can “do that,” they can still “do that”… so their company can eat the cake they also have.

What is your “I did that?”

The Value Creators

Speaking of “I did that,” whose idea was it? Did you conceptualize or execute? Were you the general or the infantry? The ringmaster or the clown?

Allllll the incentives are aligned for AI to eat implementation. Implementation costs money. Strategy makes money.

Good strategy might be automated someday. But strategy is not that expensive. 6-figure consultants are cheap compared to 8 figure development costs.

So AI will be leveraged to reduce development costs first.

Look at your work history and if you find a comment you left on some Confluence document that could be construed as “this was my idea”… IT WAS YOUR IDEA. Take it and run. You created the value that led to the outcome that makes you a winner.

Did you realize your users actually wanted X feature and hit a product-market fit bullseye? Did you find a competitive gap in your industry? Did you suggest a tweak to the marketing site that 10x’d conversion?

Pin that ribbon on your wall.

The Offline

Maybe you don’t want to do any of this bullshit. 💯 I Feel That.

So opt out!

Seriously!

Start a lawn care company or a moving company or build decks. You can make serious money doing that. Maybe pick something strategically. Septic tanks need to be emptied even if the economy sucks (😉).

No matter what, adapting to the future requires serious, tough work. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to shift gears entirely.

Start a sweaty startup if you want. It’s a legitimate option. And AI is not coming for pump trucks yet.

Am I Wrong?

Did I miss a category? Am I wrong?

I’m often wrong, but I don’t think I’m wrong about this.

If you want to argue with me, subscribe to Refactor Your Career and reply to the email. I would love to hear how I’m wrong :)

In all seriousness, relationships and your personal narrative really, really matter. You need a solid story of who you are and why you should be taken seriously, and you need a means to distribute that story.

If you need help, connect on the mailing list. I want to help 10,000 developers future-proof their careers by the end of 2026… you can be one of them!