Not long ago, Shawn K was living the American tech dream—six-figure salary, a steady job in a promising industry, and decades of experience under his belt. Today, he lives out of an RV parked in upstate New York, juggling DoorDash deliveries and online sales just to get by.
Shawn, 42, has been a software engineer for more than 20 years. He’s been through tough times before—he was laid off during the 2008 financial crisis and again during the pandemic—but each time, he bounced back quickly. What’s different now? Artificial intelligence.
After being laid off from a metaverse-focused company in April 2024, he expected to find work again within months. But the job market had shifted dramatically. Despite sending out over 800 applications, he’s landed fewer than 10 interviews. And to make matters worse, some of those weren’t with people—but AI bots.
“I feel invisible,” he shared. “It’s like I’m getting filtered out before a human even looks at my resume.”
From Six Figures to Struggling for Change
Just a year ago, Shawn was earning $150,000 a year. Now, his income is a fraction of that, coming from sporadic DoorDash gigs and selling used household items on eBay. A typical day might involve delivering fast food to hotels or listing an old laptop online, all while keeping one eye on job boards and the other on the latest AI developments.
He’s explored the idea of retraining—maybe getting a tech certification or even a truck-driving license—but the upfront costs made it impossible. With no steady income and few savings left, every dollar counts.
His story might sound extreme, but it may soon become alarmingly common. More than 150,000 tech workers lost their jobs in 2024. In the first few months of 2025 alone, another 50,000 have joined their ranks, according to data from Layoffs.fyi.
The AI Effect: A New Era for Tech Workers
The rapid rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude is reshaping how companies build software. And it’s happening faster than many anticipated. Dario Amodei, CEO of AI company Anthropic, recently predicted that by September 2025, AI could be responsible for writing nearly all code—essentially automating entire programming roles.
Shawn believes we’re already seeing the early stages of what he calls “The Great Displacement”—a mass exodus of skilled workers replaced by smarter, cheaper algorithms. He writes about it regularly on his Substack, warning that the crisis is unfolding in real time.
“We keep talking about this like it’s a future problem,” he wrote in one post. “But it’s happening right now.”
Cutting Costs or Cutting Corners?
Despite everything he’s going through, Shawn doesn’t blame the technology. In fact, he’s a self-described “AI maximalist.” He believes in AI’s potential to do amazing things. What bothers him is how businesses are using it—not as a tool to empower teams, but as a reason to cut them entirely.
“In a better world, AI could help a 10-person team do 1,000 times more work,” he said. “But instead, companies look at the numbers and think, ‘We don’t need 10 people anymore—we only need one.’”
He thinks companies are stuck in an old mindset—one that values short-term savings over long-term innovation. And that mindset, he warns, will come with consequences.
Still Hoping for a Comeback
Shawn’s optimism hasn’t completely faded. Even after more than a year without steady work, he’s still hopeful that the industry—and society—will figure out a better way to use AI. Not just to replace people, but to work alongside them.
“If AI truly is better at coding, then that’s progress,” he said. “But we should be figuring out how to use that power to lift people up—not leave them behind.”
His RV may be cramped, and his days might be filled with delivery runs and disappointment, but his message is clear: AI isn’t the problem. It’s how we choose to use it.
For now, he’s holding on—barely. But he wants others to see what’s coming. And unless real solutions are proposed, he says, many more skilled workers could find themselves in the same uncertain place.
“It’s not a question of if,” Shawn said. “It’s when.”
