Explode! Meta has started laying off programmers, but what's really scary is not layoffs These days, a news has exploded in the tech industry. Meta， Preparing to lay off 20% of employees, nearly 15000 people. Because the company is investing money in the AI field, it needs to reduce labor costs. Translated into human language, it means: using machines to replace humans. This round of layoffs is completely different from the past. Previously, layoffs were due to poor economic conditions. The reason for layoffs now is because AI is too powerful. I remember a few years ago, everyone agreed that the impact of AI on layoffs was still far away, but the result was already within reach. Meta spends billions of dollars a year on AI infrastructure, which is too expensive and can only cut personnel. The key is that the epidemic has inspired all bosses to realize that they don't need so many people anymore. In the past 20 years, programming has been one of the safest professions. In 2016, a doctoral client told me that programmers are now researching programs that can replace programmers. It's a bit tongue twisters to say, how far did I feel at the time? I didn't expect it to be ten years ago, basically mature. AI can write code, debug, and even automate complex tasks. Manus, an AI agent that became popular recently due to its acquisition by Meta, is now capable of breaking down tasks and executing processes on its own. This means that productivity has been reshaped. What used to require a team of 10 people to do, now 2 people+AI may be enough. Many people think that layoffs are just short-term fluctuations, but that's naive. Because companies are making a very rational decision to replace long-term costs (people) with one-time investments (AI). This substitution, once it occurs, is irreversible. Do you think all programmers are anxious? No. There is a group of people who started to transform as early as 3-5 years ago. In recent years, we have had programmers switch to Amazon. In the first two years, I kept saying that programmers working on Amazon were like finding an ATM. Because the Amazon industry is dominated by college and vocational school students, even if undergraduate students are also humanities and business students, their intelligence is definitely inferior to that of high intelligence programmers. So the entry of highly intelligent programmers is like Tian Ji racing horses, reducing dimensions and hitting other sellers. Moreover, programmers are more likely to understand seemingly "stubborn and unreasonable" system requirements. Why do they all transition to Amazon? Because they understand that writing code is essentially a 'job', no matter how high the salary is, the essence is still selling time. AI will eventually compress the technological premium, and the scarcity of programmers is decreasing. Amazon is an 'asset based income', where a product can be sold for several years and a link can sustain orders. Two types of programmers have completely different futures. The first one is to compete with AI for efficiency. People who are still struggling with technology work overtime to write code and learn new frameworks. This kind of person is essentially competing with AI tools for efficiency. Do you think you can compete? The harder you work, the more anxious you become. The second type: one has already transformed and used AI to make money for oneself. Using technology for automated product selection, using AI to generate listings, and using systematization for Amazon. Let AI make money for itself. What are many programmers doing now? Use AI to improve work efficiency. But what is the company doing? Reduce the number of employees with AI. The difference in the future is whether you can write code or not, whether you work for AI or make money with AI. The layoffs at Meta are not bad news. It just tells you in advance that the old era is over. If you are still using the logic of the past to find a stable job and improve your skills in exchange for salary. Then it will become increasingly difficult for you. But if you have already started building your own income system and using AI to amplify your business capabilities, then this wave is an opportunity. The crisis is actually a matter of your own thinking. Visionary people never transform after being replaced, but switch tracks when others still feel safe. Like selling a house, did you sell it before 2019 or did you wait until after 2023?