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Fired 4 times in 18 years, this engineer says ‘AI is not the problem’ behind tech layoffs

After officially stepping into the tech industry nearly three decades ago, the man's first major career setback came in 2008, when Sun Microsystems let him go just ahead of its acquisition by Oracle.

Techie says AI is not the problem behind tech layoffs

Kriguer doesn't think automation is the main culprit behind the wave of tech layoffs

Marc Kriguer, a seasoned software engineer with nearly 30 years of work experience in the tech world, has weathered more than his fair share of professional storms. At 59, he’s been laid off four times over the past 18 years, most recently from Walmart Global Tech, where he was part of a sweeping round of cuts that affected roughly 1,500 employees.

In a candid essay for Business Insider, Kriguer opened up about his journey through an industry that’s constantly shifting. His fascination with computers began before most kids had even seen one, he was debugging code before age 10. After officially stepping into the tech industry nearly three decades ago, his first major career setback came in 2008, when Sun Microsystems let him go just ahead of its acquisition by Oracle. Other layoffs followed, including one during the early Covid-19 outbreak and another at a company focused on plagiarism detection.

Despite the rapid rise of AI tools in software development, Kriguer doesn’t think automation is the main culprit behind the wave of tech layoffs. He admits he was initially reluctant to adopt AI for coding but sees value in using it to check work. Still, he’s noticed a shift, many job postings now list AI proficiency as either a preferred or required skill, hinting at a future where it might be non-negotiable.

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Kriguer sees a different root cause behind the layoffs: “Companies hire too quickly,” he told Business Insider, citing the pressures of venture capital and the high cost of tech salaries. To him, the issue is less about disruptive technology and more about unsustainable hiring sprees and subsequent budget cuts.

Even with the challenges, Kriguer hasn’t lost hope. He’s actively applying for new roles, about 40 so far, and has made it to interviews with 15 companies. While he admits that the software engineering landscape isn’t expanding as fast as it once did, he still sees opportunities: “Demand hasn’t disappeared,” he says, and he believes experience and the ability to adapt remain valuable in today’s tech world.

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