https://preview.redd.it/3zec4qenn04h1.png?width=2500&format=png&auto=webp&s=4803b803f05ddff63c111b63f0d6f57ec5551986 Software developers returning from maternity leave face a cutthroat job market changed by AI. Developer Danielle from Portland experienced this shift firsthand after returning from a career break to find traditional coding skills outsourced to AI. According to a WIRED report, the release of automation tools by Anthropic and OpenAI in May 2025 shifted the developer’s role to managing AI. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg predicted AI will write most of Meta’s code in 18 months, indicating rapid automation. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expects AI coding to become a multitrillion-dollar market. While some engineers use AI to overcome brain fog, others, like a Minnesota engineer using Claude Opus 4.5, worry about roles being automated out of existence. Daniela Gulie from Bring Women Back to Work noted that the system treats maternity leave as an exit rather than a pause. Danielle sent 40 applications but received only one interview, prompting her to consider leaving the tech industry entirely. Source: https://www.wired.com/story/women-parental-leave-return-office-ai/ submitted by /u/andrewaltair
Originally posted by u/andrewaltair on r/ArtificialInteligence