Experienced SDEs: Is AI really replacing software engineers?

[Norman]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to understand the long‑term potential of becoming an SDE.

There's a lot of talk about AI replacing software engineers, but I'd like to hear the reality from people who have actually done the job:

- What does an SDE do beyond just writing code?
- Is AI truly replacing SDEs, or is it mainly changing how they work?
- Which skills make a software engineer harder to replace?
- What's the earning potential? Can an SDE become very rich through salary, stock, startups, freelancing, or building products?
- How does software engineering compare with traditional businesses like trading, retail, real estate, or local shops in terms of wealth potential?

I'd appreciate straightforward answers from experienced SDEs, founders, or anyone who has seen both career and business paths.

[Pillai]

Earlier I had to call in night‑shift developers just to fix a problem. Now, with AI, I don't even spend all my time in the office. The future looks like less coding and more making AI work for you via prompts or voice.
I don't think that in 5 years anyone will even ask if you know coding principles, because AI will keep training itself and getting better every day. New models keep popping up.

[Kiran]

If you join as an SDE just for money and stock without any passion, you're headed for trouble.

[Nakul]

My cousin is a senior SDE and now building his own AI tool. He says that in the next five years only the top 10 % of coders will stay relevant, while the other 90 % will be replaced by AI.

[Jyoti.kumar]

Earlier companies had to hire junior developers and train them, but now AI can handle that.
Team sizes are bound to shrink; the need for large teams has already reduced as AI takes over repetitive work.
A few senior developers can now build something from scratch that used to require a big team.

[Raj]

Yes, AI is displacing junior‑level SDEs. Tasks that used to take junior engineers a couple of days can now be finished in minutes with AI.