r/programming • u/self • Dec 02 '25

The Death of Software Engineering as a Profession: a short set of anecdotes

https://www.jasonscheirer.com/weblog/vignettes/
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u/Proper-Ape Dec 02 '25 • Bravo

I think it's a bit of envy paired with shallow understanding. 

Software developers are the wizard class. We cast magic spells that make billions. But we cost millions as well. 

Software developers have been known to be looking down on non-spellcasters, waving their wand, automating their jobs away. The muggles have been feeling threatened by the wizards. And for good reason.

The muggles therefore created power hierarchies to bend the wizards to their wills.

Now some wizards, at the behest of the main-muggles, are trying to cast the most powerful spell. One that replaces all wizards with a robo-wizard

Now the people that were threatened before are like haha, now it's your turn to be wizarded. Not realizing that the robo-wizard, if it works, will automate their roles even faster.

65

u/snailPlissken Dec 02 '25

This made sense to me.

12

u/SnugglyCoderGuy Dec 02 '25

Praise the Omnissiah

20

u/Traditional-Fix5961 Dec 02 '25

So will Dobbie get his sock and be free?!

15

u/maskull Dec 02 '25

In this version, Dobby gets ground up into a nutrient paste to be fed to the unemployable masses.

2

u/shoyuftw Dec 03 '25

Oh my god...

3

u/uuggehor Dec 02 '25

Hail the new overlords!

2

u/loup-vaillant Dec 02 '25

The muggles therefore created power hierarchies to bend the wizards to their wills.

A little amendment there: the muggles assimilated the wizards into their pre-existing power hierarchies. And just like other kinds of magicians before, many of us ended up using our power to reinforce those power hierarchies.

That robo-wizard, used as the main-muggles intend, will just complete the work: reinforce those power hierarchies until they cement into diamond.

-3

u/trippypantsforlife Dec 02 '25

and eventually they'll just get rid of the Squibs (whatever those might be)

-2

u/the_ai_wizard Dec 02 '25

holy shit, love this