Having stable careers in top tech firms and earning high salaries is no longer seen as enough in an era of constant layoffs and rapid advances in AI.
A techie couple with over 10 years of experience each, working in reputed multinational companies, have begun quietly building a small business on the side.
The husband is a senior software developer with more than a decade of experience. His wife also works as a software development engineer and has similar experience. Both hold stable jobs and earn well.
Recently, a man Shikhar shared this story on X (formerly Twitter), describing a serious conversation he had with his cousin about job security and the future of work.
“Yesterday I had a serious conversation with my cousin. Stable jobs. High income. Comfortable life. But he told me something unexpected,” the caption of the post reads.
Rethinking stability in AI era:
According to the post, the developer is building a small business alongside his full-time role despite having a stable career.
When asked why he felt the need, his response was: “The risk of losing a job is real. AI is moving fast. No role is 100% safe. Salary is not security. Skill is not security.”
Techie said that salary is not security, and skill alone is not security either. “Only optionality is security,” he added, explaining that having more than one income stream offers protection in uncertain times.
Shikhar highlighted that many people grow up believing a simple formula that a good college leads to a good job, which leads to a safe life. However, that belief is now being questioned as AI automates tasks and companies cut jobs regardless of experience.
“10 years in tech. Top company. Still thinking about backup. If people at the top are preparing for uncertainty, why are the rest of us assuming we are safe?” he adds.
Here’s how people reacted to the post:
X users reacted to the post with a mix of agreement and concern, saying that the post reflected the current reality of the job market.
One of the users commented, “There must be a plan B, C, and D in this market. Hints are clear.”
A second user commented, “Your cousin is on the right path. If you are not directly involved in building high-end software or training new models or implementing complex pipelines that include inferencing, etc., you will be replaced.”
“This is why building something on the side matters. Even one client, one product, or one extra revenue stream changes your leverage completely,” another user commented.