Software engineering jobs just died (here's who survives)


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Software engineering jobs just died.

Not slowly. Not gradually.

They dropped 70% in 18 months.

Here’s the reality nobody’s talking about:

The middle-class engineer is disappearing before our eyes.

Not because of layoffs or market conditions. This is cope.

But because they’re not needed anymore.

The truth:

  • A couple devs with AI replaces entire teams
  • Entry-level positions have disappeared
  • Microsoft reports highest revenue per employee ever
  • Product builders ship in days what took teams months
  • Klarna stopping all dev hires + mass lay offs ahead of an IPO

The engineering world is splitting into two camps:

Elite Engineers:

  • Building AGI at OpenAI
  • Designing rockets at SpaceX
  • Solving self-driving at Tesla
  • Making hedge fund money
  • One (or two) person lean teams at SaaS startups working with AI

Everyone Else:

  • Becoming product builders
  • Using AI to ship solo
  • Working as creators
  • Building micro-businesses with co-founders

“Software engineer” in 2025 is a different profession than it was in 2020.

The middle is gone.

The top is elite.

Everyone else is becoming a builder.

Or, they’ll be looking for a new line of work.

Welcome to the great engineering divide.

Until next time,

Alex Turnbull

Founder and CEO

Groove and Helply

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Alex Turnbull

$0 to $5M ARR bootstrapped, solo founder. My new challenge: bootstrapping a new SaaS in public from $0 to $10M ARR in 3 years w/ 50%+ profit margins. Founder & CEO @ GrooveHQ.com & Helply.com 👋 I'm Alex, and here's my story in a nutshell: - Founded 3 businesses: one sold for 8-figures, the other valued at $40M+, and my latest is just starting up - Early #buildinpublic founder with Groove’s Journey to 100K blog - Featured in 100+ media outlets 📈 $0-$5M ARR without funding with Groove 🎯My new challenge: Bootstrapping a new SaaS in public from Zero to $10M ARR in 3 years w/ 50%+ EBITDA 💸 Sharing my learnings on building highly profitable, capital efficient, lean, bootstrapped SaaS business What you'll get by subscribing to my newsletter: 🚀 Actionable tips to grow a profitable SaaS business 📚 Education around the future of AI in customer service 🔥 Transparent & actionable advice, no fluff 💼 Exclusive updates on growth Ready to build the highly profitable, capital-efficient, bootstrapped SaaS of your dreams? I’ll be sending a weekly newsletter documenting my journey from Zero to $10M ARR with Helply and business growth tips + tricks - so hit that “Subscribe” button!

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