AI coding agents turn every engineer into a manager

The traditional career split between individual contributors and managers in software engineering is being redrawn. For years, ICs were told to focus deeply on one coding task at a time to produce high-quality code. Now, AI agents handle the coding, so the IC's job becomes coordinating a team of bots. This shift requires skills more aligned with management, like tracking multiple threads and guiding agents, rather than sustained deep focus. This suggests a future where engineering roles become less about writing code and more about overseeing AI outputs, potentially changing how companies structure technical teams and what they value in hires.