In a recent interview, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, laid out his views on the future role of software engineers in the age of artificial intelligence. If the company would keep hiring engineers, he answered, after some point, software developers would not be needed in such large quantities.

He said, “I mean, my basic assumption is that each software engineer will just do much, much more for a while. And then at some point, yeah, maybe we do need less software engineers.”

He also conceded the larger effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment, noting that while job loss would not occur immediately, it would speed up over time. Altman encouraged professionals to adjust by learning how to use AI tools, much like learning how to code was an essential skill when he graduated from high school.

He said that it “kind of just seeps through the economy and mostly kind of like eats things little by little and then faster and faster.”

Altman also highlighted AI's growing role in coding, noting that it has already taken over a significant portion of the work. He stated, “I think in many companies, it’s probably past 50 percent now. But the big thing I think will come with agentic coding, which no one’s doing for real yet.”

He suggested that the “obvious tactical move” would be to become proficient in using AI tools, drawing a comparison with how mastering coding was the essential skill when he graduated from high school.

Looking forward, Altman emphasized that though technical competence is still important, more general skills—like being able to adapt and think strategically—will be the secret to sustained success under AI.