‘Individual contributor plus’ in focus as AI economy makes middle management ‘endangered’: Anupam Mittal

For years, the loudest fear around artificial intelligence has been that it will replace engineers, developers and other highly skilled technical workers. But according to Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO of People Group and a judge on Shark Tank India Season 5, that fear may be misplaced.  

In a recent LinkedIn post, Mittal argued that AI’s real disruption target isn’t the coder — it’s the middle manager. “AI isn’t coming for the coders first. It’s coming for middle management,” Mittal wrote, calling the shift a fundamental reset of how companies define value and productivity.  

Why coders are safer  

Despite the rapid rise of code-generating tools and AI copilots, developers remain critical to modern businesses. Writing software, building products, debugging systems and making architectural decisions still require human judgment, creativity and accountability.  

AI may accelerate coding, but it doesn’t replace the need for people who understand systems end-to-end.  

In fact, Mittal points out that the companies he’s backing are leaner than ever — yet deeply technical.  

He said he is invested in firms generating ₹300-1,000 crore in annual recurring revenue with roughly 50 employees, powered by stacks of AI agents. The common thread isn’t fewer engineers — it’s fewer layers of management.  

Knowledge premium has collapsed  

The real risk, Mittal argues, lies with roles that were built around process knowledge rather than output.  

“In the old world, seniority was a proxy for knowing the process and coordinating work,” he wrote. “You got paid for knowing who to call and how to get things done. That knowledge premium is now zero.”  

AI systems excel at exactly these tasks — routing work, summarising information, coordinating workflows and handling unstructured data. These were once the core strengths of middle management.  

Now, they’re increasingly automated.  

Why middle management is vulnerable  

Mittal was blunt in his assessment of roles that lack direct ownership. “The ‘VP of Operations’ who doesn’t actually operate anything is an endangered species,” he said.

In an environment of high interest rates and tighter capital, companies are scrutinising overhead more aggressively. Roles centred on coordination without measurable outcomes are harder to justify when AI can perform similar functions faster and cheaper.

“If your job is mostly coordination, with no measurable output, you’re overhead. And in a high-interest-rate world, overhead gets cut,” Mittal added.  

Rise of the ‘Individual Contributor Plus’  

Rather than a future dominated by AI replacing humans, Mittal sees one shaped by amplified individuals.  

He calls this model the “Individual Contributor Plus” — professionals who can build, code, create, sell or align teams while using AI to multiply their impact. “These are people who can do the work of a 20-person team with AI,” he wrote.

This shift rewards hands-on skill, decision-making and accountability over hierarchy and titles. It also explains why engineers, designers, product builders and sales professionals who actively use AI are becoming more valuable — not less.  

Adapt or be automated  

Mittal is clear that AI isn’t a silver bullet and won’t solve everything. But it is exceptionally strong at non-deterministic workflows and messy data — the same areas where human managers once added the most value.  

His advice is direct: learn to build, not just manage. “Question default thinking. Synthesize fast, separate signal from noise, and turn it into judgment,” he wrote.