QCon London 2026: The Hidden Power of Boring Problems

"Predictions about the decline of software engineering have appeared repeatedly throughout computing history. A 2023 article by Matt Welsh in Communications of the ACM suggested that advances in AI could significantly change the role of programmers. Similar claims appeared decades earlier. In the late 1950s, languages such as FORTRAN were promoted as enabling business professionals to write software without specialized programmers."

"In the 1990s, Computer-Aided Software Engineering tools promised to generate complete applications directly from diagrams. Generated systems frequently struggled with real-world edge cases, requiring experienced engineers to intervene. More recently, similar discussions have reemerged with AI-generated code."

"The most valuable engineering expertise tends to compound over time when it is rooted in fundamental problems rather than specific tools. Despite these recurring predictions, the number of developers worldwide continues to grow. Estimates suggest the global developer population increased from roughly 14 million in 2019 to around 21 million by 2025."

Throughout computing history, predictions have repeatedly claimed that programming would become obsolete or fundamentally transformed. From FORTRAN in the 1950s to AI-generated code in 2025, each wave of technological advancement has prompted claims that specialized programmers would no longer be necessary. However, these predictions consistently fail to materialize. The global developer population has grown substantially, from approximately 14 million in 2019 to around 21 million by 2025. This growth demonstrates that engineering expertise rooted in solving fundamental problems delivers greater long-term value than expertise tied to specific tools or frameworks. While hype cycles regularly promise transformative change, the profession continues expanding because underlying engineering problems persistently reappear across industries.

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