'Don't take it for granted': Zoho's Sridhar Vembu says AI revolution could destroy a lot of software jobs

Sridhar Vembu, founder and chief scientist at Zoho Corp, on Sunday cautioned that the emerging productivity revolution in software development — driven by large language models (LLMs) and advanced tooling — “could destroy a lot of software jobs.”

Stressing the importance of staying alert to technological shifts, he added: “I have often said this to our employees: the fact that software engineers get paid better than mechanical engineers or civil engineers or chemists or school teachers is not some birthright and we cannot take that for granted, and we cannot assume it will last forever. The fact that customers pay for our products also cannot be taken for granted.”

“This is to remind ourselves that we can be 'disrupted'—and the more we assume we won't be, the more likely we will be. Or as Andy Grove of Intel said, ‘Only the paranoid survive.’”

"The productivity revolution I see coming to software development (LLMs + tooling) could destroy a lot of software jobs. This is sobering but necessary to internalise," Vembu wrote. 

His remarks are in line with growing concerns raised globally. In January 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that nearly 40% of global employment is exposed to AI. It noted that, unlike past waves of automation which affected mostly routine tasks, AI has the capability to impact high-skilled jobs—putting advanced economies at greater risk of disruption.

The IMF estimated that about 60% of jobs in advanced economies may be impacted by AI, with roughly half of those potentially benefiting from productivity gains. The remaining half, however, could face reduced demand, wage compression, or even obsolescence. “In the most extreme cases, some of these jobs may disappear,” the report said.

In contrast, the IMF said AI exposure is lower in emerging markets (40%) and low-income countries (26%), although these regions may face growing inequality due to the lack of digital infrastructure and skilled talent to harness AI benefits.