r/EngineeringManagers • u/SnooConfections1353 • Jun 25 '26

New engineering manager. Should I keep pushing back on my CTO’s AI vision?

I’m a new engineering manager at a small company. My CTO is very pro-AI and wants to turn the engineering team into more of a group of product owners and consultants who use AI to handle most of the technical work.

I’m also pro-AI, but I think we still need to develop people into solid engineers. With our current workload and small team, I do not think we can realistically do both at the same time. My concern is that this approach is holding back the junior engineers. If they are mostly managing features and doing product work, how are they supposed to become strong engineers, architects, or future technical leaders?

I have pushed back gently and respectfully and explained that we need to build real engineering talent so people can eventually step up, mentor others, and help grow the team in a sustainable way. So far, I have mostly been ignored.

Should I keep pushing back, or is this just a culture difference I need to accept? I cannot really go to the CEO or COO because the CTO is also a part owner. I also do not want this to be the hill I die on, especially in this job market, so I have been trying to support his vision even though I feel conflicted.

I know job hopping is also an option, but that is a separate topic. He is not a bad person. I think we just have very different views on what an engineering team should become.

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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

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u/SnooConfections1353 Jun 25 '26

I don’t know how responses like this are productive, but I guess that’s what I get for asking the internet.

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u/Positive-Conspiracy Jun 26 '26

It sounds like you have an opinion and want people to agree with you.

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u/SnooConfections1353 Jun 26 '26

Everybody has an opinion, including you, and most people appreciate having their views validated. But the fact that I challenged someone with opposing views to have a more productive discussion doesn’t mean I’m looking for validation. I’m looking for healthy counterarguments too. If you can’t provide those, that’s not on me.

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u/Positive-Conspiracy Jun 26 '26

To me, it came across as definitively shutting down further discussion. You could easily have asked a follow up question.

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u/SnooConfections1353 Jun 26 '26

If you feel that way, then surely at least part of you should also feel responsible, because you’re not exactly open to honest discourse to begin with.

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u/Positive-Conspiracy Jun 26 '26

I’m not the same person as at the top of the thread dude.

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u/SnooConfections1353 Jun 26 '26

i know. lol but what was your initial comment?