A software engineer sends a message to white-collar workers. “Let’s get ready.”
Since late last year, advances in tools like Claude Code and Codex have changed the way engineers work. While some are loving the new era of AI integrated into their workflows, others are experiencing a loss of identity as they adapt to the new reality.
Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, wrote in last week’s X that AI will dramatically speed up software engineering and is “on track to bring the same transformation to all the other kinds of work humans do with computers.”
“People are increasingly able to translate intent into software, spreadsheets, presentations, workflows, science, and enterprises,” Brockman said.
Business Insider spoke to engineers on the front lines of this transformation to find out what other white-collar workers can learn from their experience.
Say goodbye to highly specialized roles
The disruption of AI could be good news for generalists.
Andrew Hsu, co-founder and CTO of AI language learning startup Speak, told Business Insider that most software startups are traditionally divided into three functions: engineering, product, and design. While these roles were once clearly defined, AI is now blurring the lines between them, the CTO said.
Product managers and designers are now using tools like Claude Code to write code and open pull requests, while engineers are taking on more responsibility across the product and design, Hsu said.
Hsu believes this is a microcosm of what happens in other industries, saying the type of people who succeed are those who are “less specialized.”
“In many ways, these omniscient models diminish the importance of expertise and allow you to learn everything quickly,” Hsu said, adding that employees have the opportunity to “move up the ladder of abstraction” and take more ownership in their actions.
Focus on the human side of work
OpenAI released a report Thursday mapping out the near-term impact of AI on jobs using a framework across more than 900 occupations, covering 99.7% of U.S. jobs.
It found that 18% of jobs are at relatively high risk of automation in the short term. We also identified three common characteristics of jobs that are at higher risk of automation. They are: high exposure to AI, low need for human involvement, and limited or uncertain demand growth to offset potential job losses.
Software engineer Mahir Sharma predicted a similar pattern based on what he observed. He said AI tools like OpenClaw could replace executive assistants by handling scheduling and coordination with stakeholders.
Fenil Doshi, a software engineer at the startup, said many jobs that involve repetitive computer work could also be replaced, such as help desk support. He encouraged employees to rely on AI as much as possible.
Disruption does not necessarily mean fewer jobs
Disruption can be stressful, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose your job.
The engineering industry is undergoing rapid change, with changing skill requirements and fewer entry-level hires, but demand has not dried up yet. Software engineering job openings are at their highest level in more than three years, with more than 67,000 job openings, according to data from technology recruiting analytics firm TrueUp.
Amit Bendov, CEO of Gong, an AI operating system for revenue teams, told Business Insider that the impact of AI will largely depend on the level of demand in a particular area.
He said AI is likely to replace jobs in industries such as the travel industry, where demand is relatively flat. He pointed to the steady decline of travel agencies over the past few decades.
While AI has taken over many coding tasks in recent months, the technology is also expanding what’s possible, ultimately creating more jobs, not fewer, he said.
“The demand is virtually limitless,” Bendoff said, adding that AI has opened up “more opportunities for people who are not professional engineers.”
Bendoff views sales as similar to engineering. If AI can eliminate guesswork and make employees more efficient, it could help more companies retain their sales teams and enable more people to succeed in their roles.
In that case, “more jobs could be created,” Bendoff said.