Florian Herrengt · 2026-08-11 · notable
Florian Herrengt — 'AI is removing the middle class of software engineering'
Florian Herrengt argues that AI coding tools are splitting software engineering in two: strong engineers gain leverage, while average engineers get squeezed out because AI now does the implementation work they used to do.
Florian Herrengt argues AI coding tools reward the best engineers and squeeze the competent middle out of the job market.
What is it?
Florian Herrengt's post argues that AI coding assistants have removed the constraint that used to limit how fast code could be written, and that this breaks the job market for average engineers. Herrengt is a London-based founder and JavaScript and DevOps consultant, and he published the piece on his personal blog on 11 August 2026. It reached the front page of Hacker News the same week.
How does it work?
The argument in 'AI is removing the middle class of software engineering' runs through three effects Herrengt says compound on each other. Speed without judgment: one person can now open a 25,000-line pull request faster than a team can meaningfully review it. Knowledge collapse: understanding of a system spreads across AI chat logs and thin commit messages instead of living with people. Compounding debt: by the time one bad decision is untangled, several more have merged. Herrengt makes the case through scenarios rather than statistics.
Why does it matter?
The conclusion Herrengt reaches is that judgment, not typing speed, becomes the scarce skill, so engineers who can review and reject AI output gain value while those whose main contribution was implementation lose it. He predicts the same split spreads to most knowledge work. The post drew a long Hacker News discussion about where the employability bar for engineers now sits.
Who is it for?
software engineers and engineering managers