AI is changing the way we work and for many it is leading to a fear of job loss, especially among software engineers. So how do you survive the AI threat to jobs? Well, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has a simple suggestion for software engineers: focus less on speed and more on substance. And more importantly, become an expert in your domain.
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In a recent post on X, Vembu argued that while programming remains a foundational skill, it is deep domain knowledge that ultimately delivers value to customers. “Be very good domain experts,” he wrote on X. “Programming skills are the foundation (and we definitely don’t want to lose them) but deep domain knowledge is what customers pay for, along with reliability, security, support and compliance.”
According to Vembu, AI tools are already accelerating parts of the software development process, especially early-stage work like prototyping. Teams can now get to a working model much faster than before. However, he stressed that building a finished, reliable product is far more complex. Elements such as reliability, security, compliance and long-term support still require careful human input and cannot be easily compressed by AI-driven workflows.
This is why he suggests developers should avoid becoming overly fixated on productivity metrics. According to Zoho’s founder, measuring output purely in terms of speed or lines of code risks missing the bigger picture. Instead, Vembu encouraged engineers to think about how AI can help them deliver a better overall experience to customers.
“That is why I advise our technical teams to not obsess about programmer productivity as a metric but focus on how we can offer a far better experience to customers using AI,” he wrote.
It’s not just about building skills. Vembu also suggests engineers learn how to work alongside machines. He pointed out that modern software often carries a significant amount of “incidental complexity”, meaning unnecessary layers or inefficiencies that build up over time. AI, he said, could play a meaningful role in reducing this clutter, helping teams simplify systems rather than just accelerate development.
Vembu’s comments come at a time when the broader tech industry is still debating how much AI will actually improve developer productivity. While some companies claim major gains, others argue that the benefits are uneven and still evolving.
Meanwhile, in another post, Vembu also touched on AI’s long-term impact on jobs and the idea of universal basic or “high” income, a concept recently discussed by Elon Musk. Musk has argued that as AI and robotics increase production dramatically, governments may need to provide income support to deal with potential job displacement.
Commenting on Musk’s post, Vembu pushed back on the idea, calling it a “dystopian view” that assumes technology will eliminate all paid work. He questioned the assumption that a surge in AI-driven production would not lead to falling prices. According to Vembu, unless governments allow monopolies to keep prices artificially high, increased supply should naturally drive costs down, reducing the need for large-scale income redistribution.
“Still, what would humans do if ‘AI will do everything’? That one is easy — do what we don’t care for AI to do,” he wrote. “I can imagine farm workers and teachers and nurses and priests getting paid well because we don’t want robots to care for our babies or the sick, or be our priests.”
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