Develop Yourself #296 - The 5 Worst Tech Trends of 2025 (And How to Win in 2026)
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2025 was one of the most confusing years to be a software developer.
We were told AI would replace us.
Then we were told it would make us 10× more productive.
Neither actually happened — but the hype affected careers, hiring, education, and mental health in real ways.
In this episode, I break down the 5 worst tech trends of 2025, based on what I saw firsthand as a working engineer and bootcamp owner — layoffs that never stopped, juniors getting squeezed out, AI being used as a crutch, the collapse of coding bootcamps, and the biggest lie in tech: the AI productivity myth.
Then we flip the script.
I also cover the best trends that quietly emerged and how I’m personally planning to take advantage of them going into 2026 — from AI agents and coding tools that actually help, to why generalist engineers and system-level thinking are winning again.
If you’re:
- A junior developer trying to break in
- A senior wondering how AI really affects your career
- Or just tired of LinkedIn hype and doom headlines
No magic prompts. No fake roadmaps. Just reality — and a practical way forward.
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