What does the drought at Stack Overflow teach us?

"It's easy to point fingers here and suggest that software engineers are naturally turning to AI services to answer questions. Given that they can now do so from within their chosen Integrated Development Environment (IDE), it makes logical sense to assume this might happen. But there are other factors in the mix here; over-critical site policing has also been highlighted."

"Stack Overflow lives from the contribution of thousands of contributors, but is controlled by a small band of moderators who have dictatorship-like powers. They probably spend a significant part of their life on Stack Overflow, which allows them to collect enough points to get the power to do as they please. Of course, it is good that Stack Overflow tries to enforce a certain level of quality for its content, but having this 'police' [tactic] punishing others leads to the same problem as any other police [body]: they feel they are omnipotent and always right, even if they are wrong."

"Having been called out for its dismissive and overly negative moderators who deliver punitive remarks on what might be perceived as "stupid questions" by some on Stack Overflow, the universe of AI chatbots and code-bots is clearly less negative."

Stack Overflow recorded only 3,862 questions in December 2025, a 78% drop year-over-year. Many developers now rely on AI services and in-IDE assistants to resolve coding queries, reducing reliance on community Q&A. Community moderation practices and reportedly dismissive, punitive moderator behavior have discouraged contributions and driven users away. Contributors describe concentrated moderator power, content removal with contested justifications, and limited appeals processes. Users request more constructive support to improve posts instead of outright removal. The friendlier tone and accessibility of AI chatbots further accelerate migration away from traditional question-and-answer platforms.

Read at Techzine Global