Everyone is talking about AI taking software engineering jobs.
But the hiring data tells another story.

September 2026 vs. September 2025:
Overall tech job postings: +17%
AI/ML job postings: +88%

AI/ML postings are growing more than 5 times faster.
Now look at Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs):

2023: Fewer than 200 U.S. job postings.
2025: Around 1,200.
2026: Over 7,300 in just nine months.

Who's advertising these jobs?

Deloitte: 872 | Accenture: 688
Google: 499 | KPMG: 447

Three of the four leading advertisers are consulting firms.

Having spent over 20 years building IT services businesses, I find this shift particularly interesting.

Companies don't just need engineers who can write code anymore.
They need engineers who can make AI work inside real businesses.

That means understanding customers, integrating systems, automating workflows and solving business problems.

For software engineers worried about AI replacing their jobs, I see a different opportunity.

Don't just learn to code with AI. Learn to build solutions businesses will pay for.

The next wave of technology careers may belong to engineers who understand both AI and business.



Krishna Lakamsani | Serial Entrepreneur | Investor | I write at the intersection of AI, capital, and the future of the human job market,
sharing my life lessons, reflections, and honest takes from the founder-investor's seat.