Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work, leading to a lot of panic about an "AI jobs apocalypse." But if you are a software developer worried about a chatbot stealing your job, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has some good news: you are about to get busier than ever.In a recent 45-minute interview with podcaster Matthew Berman, Altman discussed how AI is changing professional roles. He dismissed the fear that coding jobs will disappear.

Instead, he believes AI will act as a powerful tool that helps coders get much more done in less time."Coders are never going to be busier than they have been and coders are never going to have more of an impact and make more money," Altman said.How AI is changing the coding jobAccording to Altman, human nature pushes us to take on more work when we save time. As AI takes over the boring, repetitive parts of writing basic code line-by-line, developers are not working fewer hours.

Instead, they are taking on more projects. The world needs a lot more software, and businesses are finding new ways to use it now that it is faster to build.

Developers are now spending more time acting like managers, guiding the AI, checking its work, and solving bigger problems. Altman is not the only tech boss who thinks this way.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also recently dismissed the idea that AI would destroy coding jobs, noting that "software engineers are busier than ever."The Math problemHowever, Altman noted that mathematics might not follow the exact same path as coding. AI is getting surprisingly good at solving highly complex math.

Recently, OpenAI's models have made headlines for tackling some of the hardest unsolved problems in mathematics. This includes progress on the famous Navier-Stokes equations, which describe how fluids like air and water move, and overturning a longstanding math problem linked to the famous mathematician Paul Erds.Altman believes that AI might soon handle the heavy lifting of mathematical discoveries and proofs.

Instead of doing the raw math, human mathematicians might shift to interpreting the AI's results and finding real-world, practical uses for them.Tech layoffs remain a realityDespite Altman's positive outlook for coders, the broader job market remains tricky. In 2026, major tech giants like Meta, Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft have continued to announce significant job cuts.While these layoffs are often linked to company restructuring and cost-cutting rather than machines directly replacing humans, it is hard to ignore the timing.

As companies invest billions into AI, they are shrinking their human workforces at the same time.Altman's main takeaway is that technology creates new demands. AI might make work cheaper and easier, but the human touch is still required to guide it.

Whether this AI boom will create enough new jobs to make up for the ones it changes or eliminates is a question the tech industry is still trying to answer.- Ends