Andrew Wang, a 33-year-old senior engineer who launched a company at Harvard and worked three years at Amazon before joining a Series B e-commerce AI startup, says junior developers are finding today's job market extremely difficult. He attributes the squeeze to a mix of oversupply, macroeconomic pressures, and AI-driven changes in hiring practices. Wang warns that cutting entry-level pipelines risks a future shortage of senior engineers and urges companies to treat mentorship and junior hiring as long-term investments. His advice to aspiring engineers: stay adaptable and pursue entry routes such as IT or help-desk roles if needed.
Senior Engineer Warns: Why Junior Developers Are Getting Squeezed — AI Helps, but Isn't the Whole Story
Andrew Wang, a 33-year-old senior engineer who launched a company at Harvard and worked three years at Amazon before joining a Series B e-commerce AI startup, says junior developers are finding today's job market extremely difficult. He attributes the squeeze to a mix of oversupply, macroeconomic pressures, and AI-driven changes in hiring practices. Wang warns that cutting entry-level pipelines risks a future shortage of senior engineers and urges companies to treat mentorship and junior hiring as long-term investments. His advice to aspiring engineers: stay adaptable and pursue entry routes such as IT or help-desk roles if needed.
08:09 PM, 11/18/2025Technology
Senior engineer warns junior devs are finding the market brutal — and AI is only part of the reason
Andrew Wang, 33, launched a startup while studying at Harvard and later spent three years at Amazon. He now works as a senior software engineer at Fermat Commerce Inc., a Series B e-commerce AI startup based in San Francisco. His identity and employment have been verified by Business Insider. This as-told-to essay has been edited for length and clarity.
Wang says entry-level software engineers are struggling to get hired today. He hears of candidates submitting hundreds — sometimes thousands — of applications with little or no response. While AI has accelerated some changes, Wang argues the problem is multi‑faceted: oversupply, macroeconomic uncertainty, and hiring practices all play a role.
From boot camp to Amazon to startup life
"When I started my career, you could go to a three- to six-month boot camp and get a job," Wang recalls. He attended a boot camp after high school, co-founded a web-design business, then studied computer science at Harvard and launched a company with an MBA classmate. He later joined Amazon for three years before moving to a Series B startup.
Early in his career Wang received strong mentorship. He credits that support with improving his technical skills and shaping his approach as a more empathetic mentor. That culture of investing in juniors is something he wants to preserve in engineering teams.
"Mentorship changed my career. I don't want that to disappear," Wang says.
Why juniors are struggling
Wang sees three main forces at work:
- Oversaturation: In recent years engineering was sold as a fast track to high pay and security, attracting many new entrants.
- Macroeconomic pressure: Companies are tightening budgets and hiring more selectively.
- AI-driven change: Some leaders view AI as a way to boost productivity or cut headcount, reducing demand for entry-level roles.
He compares hiring cycles to a pendulum: an industry that overcorrects now may face a skills shortage later. "Maybe in 10 years, if we haven't trained enough senior engineers now, demand for experienced engineers will surge again," he warns.
AI: replacement, augmentation, or both?
Wang emphasizes there is no single view of AI in engineering teams. Some companies take a reductionist approach, treating junior engineers as short-term executors and preferring an engineer who oversees multiple AI agents. Others treat AI as a force multiplier that helps humans do more.
"Teams that planned to outsource talent might use AI to augment those resources," he says. "Teams looking to cut costs will find reasons to replace roles — AI makes that easier, but it's not the only reason."
Mentorship and long-term thinking
Because mentorship matters to him, Wang asks about learning culture during interviews and checks how teams are balanced across experience levels. He notes many smaller startups are hiring senior-heavy teams right now — understandable when time and capital are limited, but shortsighted long-term.
As a former founder, Wang understands the pressure to ship products quickly. Still, he urges companies to view entry-level hires as long-term investments: juniors can deliver real value and eventually become the senior talent the industry will need.
For candidates, Wang's advice is simple: if you really want to be in tech, pursue it. Tough job markets are cyclical. Taking help-desk, IT, or related roles can be effective stepping stones into engineering — adaptability matters.
If you're an engineer struggling to find work and want to share your experience, reach out to the reporter by email at ataaltchek@insider.com or via the secure-messaging app Signal at ataalt.19.