Ghost Engineers Haunt Big Tech

Advanced AI tools are disrupting the status quo, and if experts were to be believed, this is just the beginning. Abacus AI chief Bindu Reddy estimates that coding assistants, which currently boost productivity by 15%, will push to 50% within six months. This shift could profoundly impact big tech, namely Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, where ‘ghost engineers’—those contributing far less than their peers—may soon find themselves outpaced by AI.

Ergo, mass layoffs.

Elon Musk’s controversial mass layoffs at X exemplify how bloated teams can continue to function smoothly with leaner operations. Musk laid off 80% of X’s workforce, and yet the platform operates seamlessly today. This has fueled debates about the true productivity of engineers at big tech and beyond.