From $150K Tech Salary To DoorDash: Software Engineer Applies To 800 Jobs And Gets Rejected By AI

Shawn K, a 42-year-old software engineer with two decades of experience and a computer science degree, is no stranger to tech layoffs. He's been through the downturns of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic and bounced back each time. But after losing his job last April, he found himself shut out of the industry — not by people, but by algorithms.

As Fortune reports, Shawn's job at a metaverse-focused company disappeared as the industry pivoted toward AI. Despite sending out more than 800 job applications, he's landed fewer than 10 interviews — some conducted entirely by artificial intelligence.

"I feel super invisible," Shawn told Fortune. "I feel unseen. I feel like I’m filtered out before a human is even in the chain."

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AI Is the New Hiring Gatekeeper

Shawn's experience reflects a broader shift in hiring practices. According to a Resume Genius survey, 48% of hiring managers now use AI to screen resumes, and 30% even use it to conduct AI-assisted interviews. Among Gen Z hiring managers, more than half say they screen resumes with AI before looking at applications themselves.

That shift creates a new barrier for job seekers. Harvard Business Review notes that many companies now use AI-powered applicant tracking systems like Workday and Oracle HCM to scan for keywords and rank candidates by fit. Resumes that don't contain specific language from the job posting may never be seen.

Making Ends Meet in a New Reality

Shawn has had to adjust his lifestyle drastically. He now lives in a small RV trailer in central New York and makes deliveries for DoorDash. He supplements this income by selling items on eBay, but it adds up to only a fraction of his previous $150,000 salary.

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He told Fortune that he considered going back to school for a technical certificate or commercial truck driving license, but the cost made both options unattainable.

While his financial situation is uncertain, Shawn still considers himself an "AI maximalist." He doesn't resent AI for doing his job better, if that's what is happening. But what does frustrate him, he says, is how companies are choosing to cut talent rather than amplify it.

"I think there’s this problem where people are stuck in the old world business mindset of, well, if I can do the same work that 10 developers were doing with one developer, let’s just cut the developer team instead of saying, oh, well, we’ve got a 10 developer team, let’s do 1,000x the work that we were doing before," he said to Fortune.

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The Bigger Picture: AI's Growing Role in the Job Market

In 2024, more than 150,000 tech workers lost their jobs, and that trend has continued into 2025 with another 60,000 layoffs so far, according to Layoffs.fyi.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently told the Council on Foreign Relations that AI will be writing 90% of code by September — and may soon handle nearly all of it. For engineers like Shawn, the shift is not a distant threat but a present challenge.

Shawn calls it "The Great Displacement." He believes his experience is a preview of what's coming for many other professions. "It's coming for basically everyone in due time," he wrote on his Substack.

Adapting to the New Normal

Experts suggest that job seekers prepare by identifying tasks AI can't easily replicate — like those involving empathy, persuasion, or creativity. As HBR notes, creating a resume that highlights "AI-resistant" capabilities is one key to navigating this new job market. At the same time, many hiring managers are also looking for employees with skills in AI that can help propel their businesses forward.

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