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Software engineer lost his $150K-a-year job to AI—he’s been rejected for 800 jobs and forced to DoorDash and live in a trailer to make ends meet

Shawn K, a 42-year-old software engineer from New York, lost his $150K-a-year job last April due to AI replacing coding tasks and now lives in a trailer while DoorDashing to make ends meet.
The layoff occurred amid a broader tech industry trend of over 150,000 job losses in 2024 as companies rapidly adopt AI automation to cut human talent and reduce costs.
Although Shawn holds a computer science degree and has nearly 20 years of professional experience, he has submitted close to 900 job applications with fewer than 10 resulting interviews, and believes that AI-driven resume screening tools are hindering his chances.
Shawn predicts AI will write nearly all code within 12 months and warns, “The Great Displacement Is Already Well Underway,” making the current wave a potential social and economic disaster.
His experience illustrates a growing pattern where AI displaces software workers, pushing many to frugal lifestyles and signaling urgent need for societal solutions to mitigate AI-driven job loss.

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Infobae

Lean Left

He is an engineer and lost his job for AI: he was rejected in 800 jobs, lives in a motorhome and delivers to reach the end of the month

While automation redefines the technology sector, Shawn K's story highlights the social challenges that arise when innovation advances faster than solutions for those left out.

1 day ago·Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Gizmodo

Lean Left

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Fortune

Center

Software engineer lost his $150K-a-year job to AI—he’s been rejected for 800 jobs and forced to DoorDash and live in a trailer to make ends meet

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2 days ago·New York, United States

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Springer

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8 hours ago·United States

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focus.de

Software Engineer Loses $150,000 Job and Already Had 800 Cancellations

About a year ago, 42-year-old Shawn lost his job, earning $150,000 a year. Now his life is quite different and a similar job is not in sight.

10 hours ago·Berlin, Germany

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Akşam

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American software engineer Shawn K. lost his $150,000-a-year job due to artificial intelligence. The man started living in a caravan and makes a living as a courier.

19 hours ago·Istanbul, Türkiye

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