$150K Software Engineer Turned DoorDasher After 800 AI Rejections

• Shawn K, a seasoned software engineer, has struggled to find work after losing his job, securing fewer than 10 interviews despite sending over 800 applications, as AI-driven hiring systems filter out candidates.
• AI is reshaping the tech job market, with 48% of hiring managers using it to screen resumes and 150,000 tech layoffs in 2024, followed by 60,000 more in 2025, highlighting the scale of disruption.
• To stay competitive, experts recommend job seekers emphasize AI-resistant skills like empathy and creativity while also showcasing AI expertise, as companies increasingly prioritize automation.

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into hiring processes and job functions is reshaping the tech industry, leaving seasoned professionals like Shawn K, a 42-year-old software engineer with 20 years of experience and a computer science degree, grappling with unprecedented challenges. After losing his job at a metaverse-focused company last April, Shawn has sent out over 800 job applications but secured fewer than 10 interviews, some conducted entirely by AI. This stark reality underscores a broader transformation in the job market, where AI-driven systems are redefining how talent is evaluated and employed.

Shawn’s story, as reported by Fortune, highlights the growing role of AI as a gatekeeper in hiring. A Resume Genius survey reveals that 48% of hiring managers now rely on AI to screen resumes, while 30% use AI-assisted interviews. Among Gen Z hiring managers, over half prioritize AI screening before reviewing applications themselves. Companies increasingly deploy applicant tracking systems, such as those from Workday (WDAY) and Oracle HCM (ORCL), to scan resumes for keywords and rank candidates. For job seekers like Shawn, this means a resume lacking precise job description language may never reach a human recruiter. “I feel super invisible,” Shawn told Fortune, capturing the frustration of being filtered out by algorithms.

The tech sector’s volatility compounds these challenges. According to Layoffs.fyi, 150,000 tech workers lost their jobs in 2024, with an additional 60,000 layoffs in 2025 so far. For Shawn, the pivot from metaverse technologies to AI cost him his $150,000-a-year role. Now living in a small RV trailer in central New York, he relies on income from DoorDash (DASH) deliveries and eBay (EBAY) sales, a fraction of his former earnings. Considering further education, such as a technical certificate or commercial truck driving license, Shawn found the costs prohibitive, underscoring the financial strain many displaced workers face.

Despite these setbacks, Shawn remains an “AI maximalist,” embracing the technology’s potential while critiquing how companies wield it. He argues that businesses often prioritize cost-cutting over innovation, reducing headcounts rather than leveraging AI to amplify productivity. “If I can do the same work that 10 developers were doing with one developer, let’s just cut the developer team instead of saying, oh, well, we’ve got a 10 developer team, let’s do 1,000x the work,” he told Fortune. This perspective aligns with broader discussions about AI’s transformative potential. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, predicted that by September 2025, AI could write 90% of code, with the potential to dominate coding entirely soon after.

Shawn’s experience, which he terms “The Great Displacement” on his Substack, serves as a warning for other professions. As AI automates tasks across industries, workers must adapt to remain competitive. Experts, as noted in Harvard Business Review, recommend emphasizing skills AI struggles to replicate, such as empathy, persuasion, or creativity, while also showcasing AI-related expertise that can drive business growth. For Shawn, who has weathered the 2008 downturn and the COVID-19 pandemic, this latest disruption demands not just resilience but a strategic reorientation to navigate a job market increasingly shaped by algorithms.

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