AI instead of software engineer

When people hear “software engineer,” they still imagine Big Tech.
Apps. Product teams. Shipping features.
Feels a bit outdated now.
AI agents are quietly turning every company into a software company.
Not in theory. In operations.
Banks build internal systems.
Pharma builds lab software.
Consultants build tools.
Retail builds data workflows.
Not apps.
But invisible layers:
– data pipelines
– internal tools
– agent workflows
The stuff that actually runs the business.
AI makes this cheaper.
So instead of 50 engineers… you might need 5.
But those 5 don’t just code.
They design systems, connect data, define what agents do.
More architect than builder.
And here’s where I see many teams get it wrong:
They build fast.
But don’t check.
When was the last time you spoke to the people who will actually use this?
Not hypothetically. For real.
When did you last validate your product?
Professionally. Personally. Even emotionally.
Because now it’s easier than ever to build something…
and still miss the point.
That doubt is not a weakness.
It’s probably the only thing keeping you close to reality.
Engineering isn’t disappearing.
It’s spreading into the core of every business.
But the ones who win won’t just build faster.
They’ll stay connected to the people they build for.
If you’re somewhere in that moment – building, but not fully sure if it’s the right thing – that’s usually where an external perspective helps.
I do 1-hour sessions with founders and operators on exactly this:
https://zcal.co/axlindholm/1hour
Curious – are we building better systems… or just faster ones?
#AI #engineering #startups