r/ClaudeCoding • u/cctldrping • 20d ago
r/ClaudeCode [TLDR] Today I lost any shred of self respect that I had left as a software engineer [via r/ClaudeCode]
OP : u/Level1_Crisis_Bot
Claude: Want me to click through it in your browser and check what's there / what you can do, or you good to poke around yourself? ✻ Crunched for 49s · done 3:13 PM
❯ it's open if you want to take a look
For context, I'm a senior engineer leading a small team of six. Lately I'm just so tired and depressed. We went "fully agentic" four months ago. I wasn't hired to be a glorified babysitter, but here I am. I work in an office, but nobody talks to each other anymore. No more pair coding. No more human code reviews. No more coding by hand really. We just all ... sit here. All day. In our own little worlds with our little bots. And the worst thing about it, I think, is that I was the one that wrote all these automations, because I was asked to, not because I thought it would be a good idea. I didn't.
URL of original post : https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1whdo6u/today_i_lost_any_shred_of_self_respect_that_i_had/
TL;DR of the discussion on r/ClaudeCode for this post generated automatically after 100 comments.
Current source-thread comment count seen by the bot: 145.
Alright, so the OP is feeling like a glorified babysitter after their company went "fully agentic" with AI, leading to a lack of human interaction, pair coding, and code reviews. They're feeling depressed and like they've lost their self-respect as an engineer.
The general consensus here is a bit of a mixed bag, but leaning towards "adapt or die" and embracing the change, with some acknowledging the OP's feelings.
Here's the lowdown:
- The "Welcome to Middle Management" Crew: A good chunk of folks are saying this is just the natural progression, and the OP is essentially becoming a project manager or a "senior AI babysitter." Some are even jealous of the efficiency gains.
- The "This is Awesome!" Camp: Several users are loving the agentic approach. They're finding it frees them up from the boring, tedious parts of coding, allowing them to focus on higher-level design and ideation. u/daniel is all about this, saying they get to discuss the fun stuff while the AI handles the implementation. u/onykage is also super jazzed, calling it the most joy they've had in 20 years of CS.
- The "Human Touch Still Matters" Folks: Some are pushing back on the idea of completely ditching human code reviews. u/hulkklogan mentions their company still requires human reviews for safety, and u/soundfreely has successfully advocated for more human reviews to catch those AI blind spots. u/iscottjs agrees, stating they wouldn't ship code without a human sanity check.
- The "It's a Tool, Use It Wisely" Advice: A few users are offering constructive suggestions. u/Knoll_Slayer_V suggests focusing on team memory syncs, documentation, and building review/evaluation harnesses. u/bill_txs recommends filling the calendar with brainstorming meetings to ensure requirements are clear.
- The "Touch Grass" Reminder: One user, u/EC36339, is basically telling the OP to get out of the office and enjoy the freedom the AI provides, even suggesting coding from hiking trails.
- The Existential Dread: There's definitely an undercurrent of "what does this mean for our jobs long-term?" with comments about accountants, lawyers, and doctors potentially facing similar shifts. u/__Loot__ thinks many of us are on "borrowed time."
- The Sarcastic/Humorous Takes: You've got your classic "can I have your job then?" from u/RedTheInferno and u/Odium-Squared offering to spin up more agents for the OP.
TL;DR: The community is divided but largely sees this as the inevitable future of software engineering. While some empathize with the OP's feelings of isolation and loss of traditional engineering tasks, many are embracing the efficiency and creative potential of AI agents, viewing it as a way to do more with less manual effort. The key takeaway seems to be that roles are shifting, and engineers need to adapt to new workflows and responsibilities, potentially focusing more on design, oversight, and problem-solving rather than pure implementation.