Hude and I would probably have about a two-minute battle, after which we’d just have to move on to catching up. x)
Really great that AI demand has been broken down into sensible components. Just the umbrella term “AI software development” is too abstract, and it’s hard to buy or sell. This kind of productization or structuring helps quite a lot.
Good clarification on Microsoft: 60,000 was the number of buyout packages offered, not departures. The voluntary nature of it is still the essential angle. It shows that no single area has gone down the drain, but rather that opportunities for efficiency gains are seen across the board. In that case, the same work can be done with a smaller team.
I share the optimism that work will remain and its value-add will increase. At the same time, though, I see that companies aren’t hiring like they used to, it’s really hard for young people to land their first job, and various companies are making cuts more or less justified by AI or efficiency. According to a Stanford study, employment for 22–25-year-olds has dropped precisely in the occupations most impacted by AI: Canaries in the Coal Mine. In my view, these are pretty strong signs that middle management is thinning out fast, and many tasks that used to require their skills or entry-level talent are simply no longer needed. If this disruption brings even a pessimistic 10% efficiency gain (I believe it’s much bigger) and demand doesn’t grow at the same pace, we’re going to see a lot more unemployed people.
If people here have been worried about how IT service companies will fare in the future, I don’t really share that concern. From coders toward builders, and the need for tech expertise isn’t going away. Before the work of IT service companies can be automated, all of their clients’ work would have to be automated first. 
But hey Hude, here’s a genuine challenge or question that would be nice to get your perspective on. Witted’s daily trading volume yesterday was about… €0. How do we improve this metric, which is pretty relevant to us owners?