Engineers push back as AI usage becomes a performance-review metric in big tech

datawithsuman · x · 2026-09-22

A widely resonant long post explores the meaning crisis when engineers rely on LLMs for repetitive tasks: some say "just use the LLM, collect the paycheck," but the author argues the brain needs stimulation and quitting isn't an option.

Replier datawithsuman adds that this is now reality in big tech — AI usage is becoming a metric in performance reviews, including her own role. The thread captures how "skilled AI use" is shifting from a bonus to a hard requirement, and what that does to engineers' sense of purpose.

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