Popular VC Marc Andreessen has once again stated that “AI job loss” narratives are fake arguing that AI will lead to massive productivity gains which in turn will boost demand and create a large jobs boom. “The “AI job loss” narratives are all fake. AI = massive ramp in productivity = massive ramp in demand = massive jobs boom. Watch,” Andreeseen writes in an X (formerly known as Twitter) post. He quoted a Business Insider article which said that tech openings have rebounded sharply in 2026, “challenging popular narrative that AI is wiping out engineering roles”. “1. Employer recovery from post-COVID hiring correction2. Employer recovery from post-COVID interest rate spike 3. Elasticity = demand boom QED,” the VC wrote in another post, challenging interpretations that AI is not displacing engineering jobs, instead framing the increase as QED (quod erat demonstrandum) evidence of cyclical economic recovery rather than proof against AI’s labor market effects.

Number of open tech roles in 2026 jump about 30%

The report cited data from TrueUp, a tech hiring analytics firm, which showed more than 67,000 software engineering job openings, the highest level in over three years. As per the data, listings have roughly doubled since a trough in mid-2023. “A lot of the ‘AI is replacing engineers’ narrative isn’t grounded in job posting data — at least not so far,” Amit Taylor, founder of TrueUp, told the publication. The TrueUp analysis data from late 2022 to 2026. The data showed a steep correction in 2022 and early 2023, when tech companies reduced hiring after over-expanding during the 2020 covid-19 pandemic boom. From mid-2023, hirings began to see an increase, reaching the current 67,000 software engineering job openings in present times. The trend seems contradictory with lesser jobs, especially for recent graduates. Explaining why, Taylor told BI: “Way more people have pursued computer science,” adding “The jobs haven’t disappeared, but competition for them is dramatically higher than it was even five years ago.”“Maybe AI compresses some roles entirely. Or maybe it makes great engineers so leveraged that companies fight even harder over them,” Taylor said. “Right now, the demand for top talent is strong, but maybe that continues for a while until things suddenly flip.”