America Is Headed Toward the Infinite Workweek

chis•about 3 hours ago

AI is automating all the easier tasks in people’s jobs, leaving them to spend 8 hours a day on the hardest problems which AIs cannot yet solve.

Software engineers are probably already familiar with the feeling of burnout from thinking too hard. The reality is very few people can work on the hardest problems they’re capable of for 8 hours a day.

Writing routine Python code for some system you know well is not that mentally taxing. Managing an agent that rapidly finishes tasks but needs careful review and big-picture planning is much more exhausting, and has higher returns on intelligence and deep careful thought.

I think this points towards the opposite conclusion of the OP. It’s not realistic to expect 8 hours of hard work out of a knowledge worker. Remote work naturally allows this transition, as employees can work a bit less but still overachieve with AI.

(I hate AI. Just observing the world we live in)

tw04•about 1 hour ago

> It’s not realistic to expect 8 hours of hard work out of a knowledge worker.

It wasn’t really realistic to expect hard physical labor for 70 hours a week, and yet in the 1800s before unions were established to negotiate workers rights, that’s exactly what we had.

What on earth makes you think non unionized IT workers aren’t going to be pushed to their breaking point and then pushed further? If AI truly starts eating all the knowledge work, there will be an endless supply of people lining up to work themselves to death.

hnthrow10282910•about 1 hour ago

Is this your reality? I’ve noticed that while the team is way more burned out people are also way less engaged and no longer critically think about edge cases or design reviews, etc anymore.

jmalicki•about 1 hour ago

Then they get fired for poor performance and you hire new fresh people.

Rinse, repeat.

heohk•about 3 hours ago

The work is boring and unsatisfying now so you're not engaged and easily bored to sleep. I can relate.

Jtsummers•about 4 hours ago

https://web.archive.org/web/20260618171530/https://www.theat...

GuestFAUniverse•about 2 hours ago

Yay, we all become managers! Do we get manager salaries now? /S

jmalicki•about 1 hour ago

The ratio of managers:staff engineers has been decreasing, so sort of, yes.

lovich•about 2 hours ago

No, and half the existing managers have been fired as well and their positions closed. A 1:7 ratio of managers to direct reports? What is this, the 80s? We’re doing 1:15 now. Also you have to be building software at the same time[1]

[1] https://www.refolk.ai/blog/coinbase-ai-native-engineering-ma...

tanseydavid•about 1 hour ago

My opinion of Brian Armstrong has gone from very positive to ZERO in the past 12-24 months due to his AI zealotry.

America Is Headed Toward the Infinite Workweek

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