Expectation vs. AI Reality

Remember when we actually had to understand algorithms? Now it's just "fancy bear, what's the optimal way to balance this binary tree?" And Stack Overflow? That's just AI with extra steps and judgment. But coding without internet? That's like trying to remember your ex's phone number – theoretically possible but why would you put yourself through that pain? The real pros among us still have that O'Reilly book collection gathering dust somewhere, just in case the apocalypse hits and we need to remember how pointers work.

The ultimate corporate espionage speedrun. Upload competitor's codebase, cash out $7M, join the competition. That's not "quitting your job" - that's ragequitting with a profit margin. Silicon Valley's version of dropping the mic, except the mic is worth millions and probably violates several NDAs. The real 10x developer: 10x the betrayal, 10x the payout.

Ah, the classic corporate dilemma: "We need more engineers!" *proceeds to post job listings* while simultaneously a headline announces an AI that can supposedly replace them. The irony is delicious. Companies are still desperately hiring humans while breathlessly hyping the AI that will make us obsolete. Fifteen years in this industry and I've seen this movie before—neural networks, blockchain, quantum computing—all going to revolutionize everything... until they don't. Meanwhile, some poor hiring manager is still trying to find a senior dev with 10 years experience in a 3-year-old framework for entry-level pay. The circle of tech life continues.

Ah, the pinnacle of career advancement! Not only do you get to work for free crafting AI prompts, but you also have the privilege of paying $500 weekly for the honor. It's basically like an expensive gym membership where instead of building muscles, you build... absolutely nothing for yourself. The modern tech equivalent of "pay-to-play" has evolved into "pay-to-work." Next up: oxygen subscription services where breathing at your desk requires a premium tier membership.

ChatGPT might have a gun, but Linux users show up with a rocket launcher. That's the difference between asking AI for help and spending 15 years compiling kernels from source. Sure, AI can write your fizzbuzz solution, but nothing strikes fear into the heart of technology quite like someone who configures iptables for fun on weekends. The rest of us are just standing in the background wondering if we should learn Rust or just retire early.

Finally, someone said it. The gatekeeping energy here is *chef's kiss*. While everyone's out here letting AI autocomplete their entire codebase and calling it "productivity," this dev is out here writing actual code from scratch like it's 2015. No Copilot suggestions, no ChatGPT prompts, no MCP server wizardry—just pure, unfiltered human logic and Stack Overflow tabs. The real flex? "If it doesn't work right, I DON'T PUBLISH it." Revolutionary concept in the era of "ship fast, fix in prod." Quality control? In THIS economy? Respect the hustle, honestly. Though let's be real, we all know this person still has 47 console.logs they forgot to remove before committing.