The recent cuts at Amazon and others disproportionately hit the high-volume, mid-level SWE roles (SDE II). Leadership calls it an efficiency drive, hinting at AI and process-leaning. My question to Engineering VPs and Directors: Realistically, is this forcing you to rethink how you staff or measure productivity? Are you now actively looking at tools to make a $150k engineer perform like a $250k engineer, or is the core problem simply budget and a post-COVID hiring hangover? How do you maintain team morale while fighting the narrative of ‘mid-level bloat’?
We’re correcting past excess. Show 3x value or don’t bother.
Amazing talent is available right now. We’re not cutting, we’re upgrading. AI handles rote work; great engineers handle complexity. That’s the efficiency unlock.
Honestly, seeing these SDE II layoffs is terrifying. We were told mid-level was the “safe” zone after junior cuts. It makes me focus way more on my personal brand and side projects. If the corporate job is temporary, I need to know exactly what metric proves my value, because “shows up and codes” isn’t cutting it anymore.
Fire experts, hire consultants, invent metrics. Same story.
Morale is fragile. We’re honest: every role and tool must deliver concrete ROI. If software doesn’t return $2 for every $1 spent, it’s out.