Ky Decker quit their job due to “the psychic toll” of AI-induced burnout and the dismantling of tech idealism, and now wonders, “Do I belong in tech anymore?”:

I keep asking myself:

What happened to the principles that were professed a decade ago? To address climate change? To reduce racial, gender, and economic inequality? To “don’t be evil”?

Were these principles abandoned, or were they merely born of convenience?

Has tech always been like this? Was I just blind to it before?

When I say that I am burnt out I do not mean simply that I am tired. I’m referring to the “emotional experience of political defeat” […]

I love designing and building things for the web, but I’m mourning an industry that does not share the ideals I once thought it did.

I left Apple before the explosion of chatbots and AI coding tools, so I never went through the existential crisis some of my friends and colleagues are experiencing as they are forced into using tools that might one day eliminate their jobs.

I can, however, absolutely identify with the feeling of burnout caused, at least in part, by the sense that the idealism and progressiveness of the tech space have waned significantly, especially in the last half-decade. We’ve gone from angry declarations about the bloody ROI to tacky appeasement trophies; from humbly acknowledging diversity issues to cynically dismissing them. Today, if you are anything other than a young, wealthy, straight, cis, white male, it feels like the tech industry has angrily turned against you, and you’re no longer welcome.

The collective sense of insignificance is further magnified by the imposition of AI into our professional and personal lives, whether we welcome it or not. Developers and designers are compelled to build the very shovels they’ll use to dig their own graves. I continue to embrace technology as a tool that amplifies our individual efforts, but I’m happy that I no longer depend on technology for my livelihood. Even as I’m fascinated by the potential of AI, I find the business and ethics of AI appalling.