The cost of software development has dropped to around $10.42 per hour, less than minimum wage, meaning the skills of a professional developer are no longer scarce or differentiating. Tools like Cursor are enabling non-developers to build software, fundamentally undermining developer identity.
As companies automate roles and lay off workers, those workers are forced to upskill with AI before moving to their next employer, where they then implement further automation. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle that spreads AI-driven disruption across every industry and discipline.
The window between a company acting on AI and a competitor appearing at their door is now measured in months rather than years, and that window keeps shrinking as models improve. Early movers gain a structural advantage that late adopters may never be able to close.
Software development skill is now commoditized at $10.42/hour, below minimum wage. Shift your professional identity toward uniquely human capabilities — system thinking, domain expertise, product judgment — rather than code-writing alone.
The people who had breakthroughs did so by actively experimenting during dedicated time, not by reading about AI. Schedule focused, hands-on sessions with current AI tools to build real intuition and capability.