Tech "Geniuses" Trade Common Sense for AI Fairy Tales.

Mark Zuckerberg says AI can replace mid-level engineers at Meta.

Let that sink in for a second.

This is the same Mark Zuckerberg whose AI moderation tools couldn’t stop me from being called the N-word in my DMs 1,487 times (I counted, Mark). The same algorithms that suggested I join a Facebook group for people who believe drinking bleach cures seasonal allergies.

And now, Zuck wants me to believe AI can handle one of the most demanding roles in tech?

Look, Mark is clearly a genius. He built a company that connects billions of people across the globe—unfortunately, many of those connections are between your racist uncle and anti-vax pyramid schemes, but hey, billions are billions.

So, when he says, “AI can replace mid-level engineers,” I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about. Right?

Mid-Level Engineers: The Unheralded Heroes of Tech

If you’ve ever worked in tech, you know that mid-level engineers are the glue that holds the entire system together. They’re not just writing code—they’re writing sanity into the chaos of a tech company.

Here’s what they do:

1. They Speak “Engineer” and “Business” Fluently

Imagine this: the CEO wants blockchain integration yesterday. The marketing team wants “a little AI pizzazz.” And the product manager wants to add a feature they saw on TikTok.

Who steps in to explain, in polite but firm terms, why all of this is a terrible idea? The mid-level engineer.

They’re the ones who say, “Sure, we could do this, but also, have you considered not burning the entire codebase to the ground?”

2. They Stop Disasters Before They Happen

While your leadership team is busy chasing quarterly numbers, mid-level engineers are asking questions like, “What happens if the entire user base logs in at the same time on Black Friday?”

They’re the ones who save your platform from collapsing under the weight of 12 million people fighting over a discounted air fryer.

3. They Know When to Let Things Go

Mid-level engineers understand that just because you can build something doesn’t mean you should.

Remember Facebook’s virtual hangout rooms during COVID? No? Exactly.

But AI Is Going to Replace Them, Right?

Zuck’s big claim is that AI can handle the job. And sure, AI can write code faster than any human. But let me ask you this:

Can AI look at a vague, hand-wavy feature request and figure out what the hell the product manager is actually asking for?

Can AI calm down a junior dev who accidentally took down the production environment five minutes before a big launch?

Can AI sit in a meeting, listen to three different departments pitch three equally terrible ideas, and diplomatically tell all of them “no” while suggesting a better path forward?

The answer is no. AI is great for writing boilerplate code or analyzing massive datasets. But mid-level engineers don’t just write code—they navigate the beautiful, messy, political world of tech companies.

Enter Musk, Stage Right

Let’s not forget Elon Musk in this conversation. Zuck may be hyping AI as the future, but Elon? Elon’s out here pushing bots and Twitter/X changes like they’re the keys to world peace.

This is the same guy who promised us Tesla would have self-driving cars by 2018. It’s now 2025, and Teslas are still struggling to park themselves without taking out a lamppost.

And don’t even get me started on X. Musk’s big “free speech” experiment has turned into a playground for bots, conspiracy theorists, and accounts with profile pictures of eagles and American flags yelling at you about 5G.

Between the two of them, Zuck and Musk are like the Laurel and Hardy of tech leadership—except instead of slapstick comedy, we get nonsensical AI hype and social media dumpster fires.

AI Isn’t the Problem. Hype Is.

AI is amazing at what it’s actually designed for. It’s not the hammer’s fault if you’re using it to screw in a lightbulb.

The problem is that people like Zuck and Musk aren’t just using AI to build tools—they’re using it to sell a dream.

The “AI can replace engineers” narrative isn’t about innovation. It’s about cost-cutting and stock prices. If Zuck can make Wall Street believe AI is the future, the shareholders are happy. And if the shareholders are happy, who cares if the platform falls apart because the mid-level engineers are gone?

Why This Matters

Mid-level engineers aren’t replaceable because they’re not just engineers—they’re human problem solvers.

• They fix the gaps between what the code can do and what the business thinks it wants.

• They smooth over conflicts, calm egos, and turn vague ideas into real solutions.

• They don’t just work on the system—they are the system.

If you take them out of the equation, you’re not just saving money—you’re creating chaos. AI can’t replace mid-level engineers because it can’t handle the human dynamics that make tech companies work (barely).

Closing Thoughts: Who Do You Trust?

At the end of the day, maybe Zuck and Musk are right. Maybe AI will replace mid-level engineers, cure cancer, and make me breakfast.

But until that happens, I’m going to keep trusting the humans who know how to translate chaos into order. The ones who can build things that actually work—not just in theory, but in reality.

And if Zuck and Musk don’t see the value in those humans, well, maybe they’re the ones who need AI more than anyone.

What’s Next?

If you’re tired of hype and want real solutions, let’s talk. At Suit & Artist, we help companies bridge the gap between creativity and technology. We don’t just build teams that work, we build teams that thrive.

(Unless you’re the person who thought X’s verification system was a good idea. You might need more help than we can offer.)