AI Didn't Replace This Developer — a Full-Stack Mandate Did
Foreword
I vaguely remember that starting from December 2025, the Chinese internet began to see a flood of topics heavily promoting AI. This wave successfully broke out of tech circles, and our company was no exception. After senior management saw this information, they started pushing us to use AI more to improve efficiency.
Fast forward to March of this year (2026), our boss began having us leverage AI to transition to full-stack. Existing frontend developers were to learn backend, and backend developers were to learn frontend. One person handles an entire project, thereby increasing efficiency and bringing more revenue to the company.
Laid Off
Later on, we developed at this pace. Former colleagues and programmers I knew from the community all went full-stack too. Those who couldn't do it were laid off. While AI improved efficiency, the workload increased, and every day became more exhausting. Only the income remained unchanged.
Time came to yesterday (August 20th). My boss suddenly called me into a small meeting room and told me: "Our department's profits have decreased, and the company needs to cut the budget. We've decided to let you go. Tomorrow (August 21st), HR will discuss the specifics with you. Once you sign, you can leave."
Reflection
Under the big trend of AI, the living space for pure frontend/backend developers is shrinking. The job market is increasingly hiring for full-stack roles, and salaries have shrunk significantly. Perhaps the era that belonged exclusively to programmers is truly ending.
In this current era where AI prevails, what should those of us who have been knocked down do?
I still have no answer to this question...
Afterword
That concludes this article.
I am Magical Programmer, a frontend development engineer.
If you are interested in me, please visit my personal website to learn more.
Top 9 of 14 from juejin.cn, machine-translated. The original thread is authoritative.
Any new plans, big shot? Keep job hunting or switch industries?
Haven't figured it out yet.
Which city are you in? I'm also a frontend dev, just got laid off last week. I'm in Shenzhen.
I'm in Guangzhou.
I can at least hang on until the end of September, hehehe [thinking quietly][thinking quietly][thinking quietly]
Hahaha, let the werewolf game begin.
Big shot, what are you planning to do next? I feel like I won't last much longer either [facepalm]
No plans yet.
Big shot, we had layoffs too. I reckon the company will go under next year. My team lead kept me on, hoping I can make it to the start of next year.
Sigh, out of options.
I got laid off too. The internet industry is too hard to keep going in. I'm done with frontend. If you keep at it, you'll still face layoffs at 40, but you can't retire and get your pension until 63.
Nothing to be done. Just like when the wave of informatization swept in, traditional information aggregation channels and the people in them got eliminated. AI is coming, that's just the trend. It's not that full-stack is the future, just that change has already arrived.
[Angry] This few words and you call it an article? Don't phone it in next time.
Kai~ [crying]