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It seems there is confusion between what I call the “Zapier Engineer” and the “AI Automation Engineer.”
I think it is rooted in two false beliefs:
- AI added an extra intelligent layer that allows us to connect different services using Zapier as glue without writing a single line of code.
- You don’t need to be a software engineer to build… software (this one makes me laugh every time.) Why would you ever learn how to design systems, how to code, or how to manage prod envs? You have LLMs now.
A House without Drawings
I spent a couple of years working with a renowned startup founder in the construction industry. We designed and built software for the Preconstruction phase.
What is Preconstruction? It is the phase in a construction project where you think, design, and plan. Why would you waste time on that? Correcting issues (that you haven’t thought about) in the mid-project is 10 times more expensive than catching them during the construction phase.
Before I bought my house, I used this preconstruction know-how. I visited one of the potential houses and asked the owner for the drawings. He did not have them, so I asked him, ” How did you build it then?” He replied, “I just drew what I wanted on a piece of paper, and the construction guy will build it.”
You are Building Software Without Drawings
The house was beautiful on the outside.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of place —until I noticed a few little things related to plumbing. Of course, the owner did not have the plumbing drawings— how am I supposed to fix the pipes if I don’t know where they are?
This is exactly how many startups are building their tech stack with AI today.
The AI Automation Engineer
The no-code, low-code, AI-generated code has tricked everyone into believing that software engineers (or coding) are not needed anymore.
I can easily foresee more and more founders begging to clean up AI-stitched-together tech stacks.
Now, more than ever, you need your Preconstruction Software phase. Engineers have turned into architects, analysts, and designers… because the LLMs won’t think about all the potential issues (technical debt) before you start coding unless you tell them to do so.
Is the Software Engineer as a Profession Gone?
We are two years into this new LLM-powered world. What we’ve seen so far is this underlying trend: if the AI can do it better than you, let the AI do it.
We can’t call our engineers “Software Engineers” anymore because I believe that title is becoming obsolete.
However, we cannot confuse Zapier script kiddies with seasoned programmers — the latter might need to use the title “AI Automation” or “AI Agent” because the development tools have changed, but we still need to build software the right way.
My Team knows how to Build Software
At my company, InTheValley, we understand that the preconstruction phase is more important than ever.
Think about it: you have robots that can build the house for you. Wouldn’t you spend more time on getting the drawings right to avoid a robot messing things up during construction?
Do you agree? Then let’s chat!
- The AI Automation Engineer - 05/13/25
- Hire One Developer to Press One Key - 05/06/25
- Stop Consuming AI and Start Riding AI - 04/29/25