Everyone in tech is convinced that AI will eliminate junior developers first. “Why hire a junior when AI can write code?” they ask. The prevailing wisdom is that entry-level developers are most vulnerable to automation.
They’re dead wrong.
I wrote “The Future of AI Belongs to Experienced Operators with Good Taste” a few months back and that’s still absolutely true. But there’s a massive plot twist most people are missing: AI coding assistants aren’t just productivity tools - they’re the great equalizer.
Junior developers with the right attitude and intentional practice are positioning themselves to outpace expensive, slow senior developers who refuse to adapt. The window is open right now, but it won’t stay open forever.