What happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers
Many software and “knowledge” workers describe a growing sense that their jobs are meaningless, precarious and increasingly shaped by AI tools and management fads rather than craft or public benefit. Commenters link this malaise to post‑ZIRP layoffs, remote work isolation, enshittified products, and a wider culture of doomscrolling and outrage, while others argue that tech has always been unstable and that AI is just the latest productivity shift. Proposed responses range from embracing AI as a powerful tool, to retreating into hands‑on hobbies or new careers, to calling for stronger social safety nets to cushion rapid technological disruption.
Diverging reactions to AI in tech
- Some engineers are thrilled: AI feels like long‑awaited science fiction, a huge productivity boost, and a way to finally build long‑dreamed side projects.
- Others feel AI is “slop” that management is forcing on them, degrading quality and joy of work, and even preferred over better human solutions.
- Disagreement on impact: some see only incremental “normal tech”; others fear unprecedented, cross‑sector job displacement, especially for white‑collar work.
Loss of meaning and “bullshit jobs”
- Many tie their malaise to realizing their work mostly increases shareholder value or fuels “torment nexuses,” not public good.
- Graeber’s “Bullshit Jobs” and classic critiques of knowledge work are frequently referenced; “worker alienation” is explicitly named.
- Some argue knowledge work was always like this; AI just strips away comforting illusions about its importance.
Economic insecurity and post‑ZIRP hangover
- End of ultra‑low rates, mass layoffs, and shrinking comp/benefits shattered the “day‑care, rest‑and‑vest” era.
- Mid‑career workers with mortgages and kids feel trapped: too old to reset, too young to retire.
- Debate over capitalism’s “creative destruction”: some say this is just how markets work, others argue AI’s breadth and speed make this time different.
Craft, identity, and the “manager of machines” shift
- Strong theme: programmers and other “craftspeople” feel their mastery is being devalued or morphed into supervising tools they don’t want to use.
- Analogy: going from building fine furniture to managing a flat‑pack factory.
- Some insist programming was always a form of “managing computers”; others reject this as erasing what made the craft satisfying.
Social environment: internet toxicity & remote work
- Many blame chronic doomscrolling, outrage‑driven media, and astroturfing for a pervasive sense of crisis.
- Others counter that unplugging risks ignorance of real harms and reduces civic agency.
- Long‑term remote workers report isolation, blurred home/work boundaries, and regret; others fiercely defend WFH and resent RTO pushes.
Historical parallels and structural questions
- Comparisons to printers, coal miners, pink‑collar workers, and trades: tech may just be the latest group to lose its privileged bubble.
- Disagreement on solutions: stronger safety nets (UBI, healthcare, retraining) vs skepticism that such systems are workable or non‑exploitative.
Coping strategies and exits
- Common fantasies and some real moves: farming, crafts, small businesses, teaching, volunteering, offline hobbies.
- Some embrace AI to accelerate personal projects; others “starve the machine” by quitting LLMs and hand‑coding on principle.