66% of CEOs surveyed plan to either cut headcount or hold it flat in 2026. But they're not announcing layoffs. The strategy is quieter. When someone leaves, try AI first. If the AI can handle 60-70% of the role, don't backfill. If it can't, hire, but hire one person instead of two.

Right in line with my hypothesis:

Before: 100 companies employing 10,000 engineers

Future: 100,000 companies employing 10 engineers