The growing fear around AI replacing jobs has found a new face online. A Reddit post from a user claiming to be a software engineer with nearly two decades of experience has gone viral after he said he is now working at McDonald’s to pay rent following a layoff linked to AI-driven cost-cutting. The post appeared on Reddit’s r/ClaudeAI community, which attracts millions of weekly visitors, and quickly became part of a wider debate about how AI is changing hiring trends in the tech industry.
Engineer says AI replaced team of 12
According to the user, he had worked as a software developer for 18 years before losing his job eight months ago. He claimed his former company replaced a team of 12 engineers with just two AI specialists. Since then, he said he has applied to more than 100 jobs but has struggled to land a role.
“I’m currently working at McDonald’s to pay rent while I do it,” the post said.
The user also described a frustrating interview experience. He said hiring managers often ask how he handles unfamiliar codebases, but appear disappointed with traditional engineering answers. He claimed one HR interviewer even told him, “Developers are a thing of the past. A CS degree is useless now.”
He further alleged that many experienced engineers are facing the same issue. “I know over 200 developers in identical situations,” he wrote, adding that some have taken unrelated jobs while others have stopped job hunting altogether.
The post argued that companies are moving toward smaller teams using AI tools, where a few people skilled at prompting models can do work that once needed much larger engineering teams. The writer said executives making such decisions are not facing the real-world impact of layoffs.
Viral debate shows growing job anxiety
While India Today Tech couldn’t independently verify the claims in the Reddit post, the story sparked strong reactions across Reddit and X. Some users supported the engineer’s concerns, saying companies are increasingly expecting workers to use AI tools to boost productivity. Others disagreed and argued that experienced developers who learn AI tools are still in demand.
One user wrote that good developers now have “an army of helpers” through AI tools. Another said candidates who fail to explain how they use AI in interviews are already behind. Some users were more sceptical, questioning whether an engineer with 18 years of experience would be forced into fast-food work so quickly.
The viral discussion comes at a time when global companies are openly rethinking hiring plans because of AI. A McKinsey survey released in late 2025 found that nearly 30 per cent of organisations expected to hire fewer junior employees as automation expands and AI tools become part of core operations.
Even inside major tech companies, AI is creating tension. Reports have suggested some Google engineers are unhappy over unequal access to coding AI tools, while some teams are reportedly being measured on how much they use AI at work. Meta has also faced internal discomfort after introducing software on company devices that reportedly tracks employee computer activity to help train AI systems.
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