‘Junior role wasn’t killed by malice’: Techie says AI pushed Big Tech to ‘reprice’ degrees near zero

 A social media post has sparked a fresh debate over the future of higher education and entry-level hiring in the technology sector, after he argued that major tech companies have “quietly repriced the value of a college degree to near zero.”  

The user by Aakash Gupta, a former product executive turned industry commentator, remarks were shared in response to a statistic reported by Forbes that new graduates now account for just 7% of new hires at Big Tech, down from 25% in 2023 and more than 50% before the pandemic.  

Hiring collapse signals structural shift  

In his post, Gupta pointed to what he described as a dramatic contraction in entry-level recruitment across the industry. He wrote that the so-called “Magnificent Seven” — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Tesla — have sharply reduced their reliance on campus hiring.  

According to the figures cited in the post, entry-level hiring across the tech sector fell 73% in the past year alone, which Gupta characterised not as a cyclical slowdown but as “a structural elimination of the junior role.”  

AI economics rewriting workforce math

Gupta argued that advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping how companies calculate productivity and cost.

“The reasoning is cold but defensible,” he wrote, claiming that many managers now prefer deploying AI tools rather than onboarding inexperienced graduates, citing concerns such as lack of real-world experience, teamwork readiness and the cost of training.

He contrasted the relatively low price of AI software subscriptions with the expense of hiring junior developers, who may require months of ramp-up before contributing meaningfully to output.  

From talent pipeline to productivity model

Before the pandemic, Gupta said, companies viewed junior hiring as a long-term investment — inexpensive early-career workers who would eventually grow into mid-level engineers. That model, he argued, has been disrupted by AI-assisted workflows. 

AI tools, he wrote, have narrowed the productivity gap between senior engineers and junior staff, allowing a smaller number of experienced workers to deliver output that once required larger teams.

“The junior role wasn’t eliminated by malice,” Gupta said. “It was eliminated by margin pressure.”  

Netizens split over the diagnosis  

The post triggered a wave of responses online, with users divided over whether the shift represents a permanent reset or a cyclical correction.  

One user called it “a harsh reality check,” writing: “The entry-level path into Big Tech is collapsing faster than most realize. AI isn’t just a tool. It’s a structural lever that lets a single experienced engineer do the work of several juniors. College degrees still teach fundamentals. But the market for ‘training wheels’ roles is evaporating. The new leverage isn’t credentials. It’s output and ability to integrate with AI to ship value immediately. Students and grads need to rethink strategy.”   

Others pushed back, arguing the trend may be overstated and tied to post-pandemic adjustments.  

“I think this is overstated. The pandemic hiring was crazy high. They over hired. Some of this is still wind down. This will correct the problem of demanding to work from home. When people need a job they will take a five-day in-office role. Remember we had an unemployment rate of 3%, they could not find hires. That imbalance has shifted,” another user commented.  

A third response suggested the hiring bar has not disappeared but evolved: “The 7% stat matters but the real story: what replaced new grads. Engineers who can direct AI systems. The entry bar didn’t disappear — it moved up. You’re now competing with AI and seniors who orchestrate it. That’s a much harder gap than a curriculum refresh.”  

Gupta argued that higher education is still geared toward an entry-level pipeline that is shrinking, urging students to adapt to a market that increasingly rewards demonstrable skills and immediate productivity.