‘My identity is crumbling’: Indian dev’s viral post on AI layoffs sparks debate

A Reddit post from an Indian software developer describing mass layoffs at their company has gone viral on r/developersIndia, sparking debate over whether AI tools or ordinary business conditions were the real cause. The poster said around 90% of a 70-person dev team was let go, with management citing the AI model “Claude Fable 5” as sufficient to handle remaining work.

“My identity as a person is crumbling,” the poster wrote, saying they had shifted from viewing AI as “just fancy autocomplete” to fearing they would “stop being economically valuable” within two years.

The post drew over 1,100 upvotes but also significant pushback. Several commenters questioned its authenticity, with one noting that Fable 5’s “actual costing hasn’t even started yet.” Others argued the company’s own admission that “the number of projects drastically reduced” was the real explanation, with one commenter writing that citing AI is “a good PR excuse for downsizing.”

Some commenters offered advice instead of skepticism, with one longtime developer urging the poster not to “diminish your own self-worth,” and to focus on skills like understanding user needs and guiding AI output rather than just writing code.