Microsoft Just Laid Off 6000 Employees(but why?)Is AI to blame

Microsoft just laid off 6,000 employees and the internet has always freaked out. You have probably seen the headlines. "AI is replacing all the developers!" or "Tech is dead!" But before we spiral into yet another panic cycle, it’s worth taking a step back to assess what’s actually happening.

Tech Layoffs Aren’t New

Let’s set the record straight. Layoffs in tech aren’t some AI-induced anomaly. They’ve occurred consistently over the years, long before artificial intelligence became a mainstream buzzword.

• 2014: Microsoft laid off 18,000 after acquiring Nokia.
• 2015: HP slashed 30,000 jobs during a major restructure.
• 2016: Intel let go of 12,000, shifting away from legacy PC products. PCs, IBM, Yahoo, and plenty of other giants have done the same. Companies change direction. They restructure. They cut costs. Layoffs like these are about strategy, not science fiction .

What did these Layoffs mean

That's what a pivot looks like. Letting go in one area to reinvest in another. These layoffs were strategic — part of larger business pivots. It’s called restructuring, not extinction. When tech companies lay people off, it’s often a sign not of decline, but of redirection. Intel’s layoffs, for example, weren’t just about trimming the workforce. They were about shifting focus to emerging sectors like cloud computing and smart devices. Over time, that strategic move created new opportunities and thousands of jobs in those high-growth areas. This is what a corporate pivot looks like: reducing investment in legacy operations to reinvest in the future.

The Social Clickbait Circus.

But of course, social media clowns turn it into something bigger than it really is. They don't waste a second before yelling, “AI took their jobs!” Something goes wrong in tech? "Blame AI." —Plenty of news outlets do the same. Spin fear into clicks because fear gets attention. They're not trying to explain what's actually happening. They're just chasing views. It’s no different of the vaccine panic during the pandemic when nearly every misfortune was blamed on vaccines. Heart attacks, car crashes, even bad weather. Someone stubbed their toe, must be the vaccine. Today, AI has become the new scapegoat. If something goes wrong in tech, AI is immediately is to blame.

Tech Isn’t Dying — It’s Evolving

The truth, however, is far more grounded. Companies still need engineers, not just people who know how to write code. I'm talking about real engineers. People who can think clearly, write clean, maintainable code, understand how systems behave, and solve real world problems. With AI in the picture, the tech career is entering a new chapter. We'll be building tools and platforms we can't even imagine today. These tools will create new challenges. And those challenges will need you, thoughtful, capable engineers, solutions architects(you name them) to solve them.

Vibe Coders Won’t Survive

Unfortunately, vibe coding has become a trend lately. People pasting prompts into an LLM and calling themselves engineers and yet they don't understand data structures, design patterns, system design, security, or even how to debug. Relying solely on AI-generated output without the ability to evaluate, improve, or even understand it renders you dangerously unprepared. It's like flying a plane by watching YouTube tutorials midair. That makes you reckless and unsustainable. The reality is, if your skills begin and end with copying code without comprehension, you're not just replaceable by AI. You’re irrelevant.

What the Industry Needs Now

If you want to keep growing in the industry and stay relevant, you need real skills. Solid fundamentals. Deep understanding of how things work under the hood. Companies are going to pay you for what you actually know. Not for the vibes. For example, Did you know the demand on engineers are going up, not down? Back in the 80s or '90s, most tech job listings focused on knowing one language, a bit of databases, maybe some basic algorithms. But today, you have to know multiple languages, frameworks, CI/CD, cloud platforms, architecture, APIs, security, automated testing, the list goes on. And tomorrow it'll be even more. AI will help us automate boring repetitive tasks and help us to focus on the bigger more complex problems. So to some point, AI will make it possible for everyone to develop code just like anyone can use a calculator but not everyone can do math.

Final Thoughts

If all the noise lately has left you feeling anxious, don't let it. Don't let the social media clowns get to you. Don't let fear-based headlines distract you. Stay curious, keep learning, keep growing. The future doesn't belong to people yelling on the internet. It belongs to the ones who show up, level up, and keep building.
So, if all the noise has left you feeling anxious, take heart.

That’s all for now. Let’s keep pushing boundaries with AI. I'll see you in the next one.