The senior engineer death spiral: AI is eroding the pipeline that creates them
nsavage · hn · 2026-09-20
Sunil Pai's essay argues an AI-driven "death spiral": coding tools absorb junior work, companies stop hiring and training juniors, yet senior judgment comes precisely from years of hands-on experience. Once today's seniors exit, nobody will be left able to review AI output or own architecture. The piece explores long-term consequences for engineering quality and how seniors should reposition.
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