Software engineers, like most workers, are exploited. Do you think that companies pay us well out of the goodness of their hearts? As soon as they can find a way to replace us or pay us less, they will. Currently they have to pay us well and give good benefits, otherwise we will move along to somewhere that will. The more likely scenario, is that they will start replacing the "non 10x" developers with AI soon. This may allow the 10x to demand a salary bump, but it also means that they will be cleaning up after AI and shouldering all of the extra work so it probably will be a net loss for most.
Sounds great to me. That’s how the market works. If a cheaper means of production exists, the industry should utilize it. While I think unlikely right now for it to vanish, it should definitely not be propped up.
Agreed, however, in practice I’ve found that companies replacing humans with AI is usually a disaster, and the only reason they get away with it is because they have some sort of near-monopoly. When’s the last time you got an automated customer support menu on a phone and thought “wow, I’m sure happy they figured out a cheaper means of production here”
