We keep hearing that the latest LLMs are approaching AGI. The people who run the frontier labs are warning or hinting that soon all code will be written by models. Some argue that software engineering is about much more than just coding, but you don't need nearly as many people for those other parts either.

So what happens to people who spent decades in school and on the job, who are passionate about coding and get their energy from writing code?

I don't believe in universal basic (or high) income, because that's not how the world has worked so far. I've never seen a world where all humans have equal capabilities or resources — physical strength, financial strength, anything. If everyone gets paid the same, I don't see where the motivation to work comes from. And without work, I think people's cognitive skills will decline and we'll end up completely dependent on the machines slaves to the tech.

Thinking about all this has left me feeling pretty low. For those of you in tech who still feel positive about waking up every day: what keeps you motivated?