AI tools now permeate every layer of tech work, from Slack bots auto-generating responses to code reviews handled by swarms of AI agents. The author, a former design engineer, details how these tools eroded human connection and institutional knowledge. After quitting their role maintaining a $12,000 codebase, they described colleagues relying on AI to bypass critical thinking, leaving them isolated in their concerns about quality and ethics. Google and Vercel exemplify broader industry shifts: abandoning climate pledges for gas-powered data centers and aligning with controversial figures like Elon Musk, respectively.

The piece critiques tech’s loss of progressive ideals, from “don’t be evil” to supporting war criminals, framing burnout as “political defeat” from clinging to outdated values.