Kaitlin Cort Launches What We Will as AI Upends 1.5 Million U.S. Software Jobs
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 12
Kaitlin Cort Launches What We Will as AI Upends 1.5 Million U.S. Software Jobs
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 12
Summary
Kaitlin Cort started What We Will in February after quitting engineering work that had shifted from writing code to reviewing AI output, aiming to help tech workers handle layoffs, severance, upskilling and union drives.
At least 10 new applications now arrive each day, Cort said, with rising interest in organizing as engineers report anxiety over AI replacing core coding work and blurring the value of their skills.
Google says 75% of its code is now written by AI, a shift that workers say is pushing them toward code review, system design and AI oversight rather than hands-on programming.
More than 600,000 U.S. tech workers have lost jobs since ChatGPT's 2022 release, while computer science graduate unemployment hit 7% in 2024 and Indeed tech postings fell 36% from 2020 to 2025.
The disruption is also cooling the profession's appeal: enrollment in four-year computer and information science programs fell 8.1% in the 2025-2026 school year as workers weigh retraining, organizing or leaving tech.
With CS enrollment dropping, who will build and oversee the AI systems of tomorrow?
With tech giants lobbying on AI, what future is left for smaller tech innovators?
As AI masters coding, what uniquely human skills now define an elite engineer?
AI Disruption 2022-2026: Job Losses, Worker Organizing, and the Urgent Push for Skills and Policy Reform
Overview
Between 2022 and 2026, rapid advances in artificial intelligence transformed the U.S. labor market, especially in the technology sector. What started as a worker-friendly market with many job openings shifted to uncertainty and restructuring, as AI integration accelerated. By December 2025, employers regained power, with job seekers outnumbering available positions by nearly one million. Job openings dropped to their lowest since 2020, while unemployment rose to levels not seen since 2016. This dramatic shift highlights how AI has not only changed the number of jobs but also the balance of power and the structure of work itself.