'My software engineers will go away': InMobi CEO warns of AI-driven job cuts

InMobi founder and CEO Naveen Tewari has issued a stark warning for software engineers, predicting that artificial intelligence will automate the majority of their work within two years. 

Speaking at an event hosted by LetsVenture, an early-stage investment platform, Tewari stated that his company is on track to achieve 80% automation in software coding by the end of this year.

"I think my software engineers will go away. They will not have jobs within two years," he said at the event. "My CTO will deliver 80% automation in software coding by the end of this year. We have already achieved 50%. The codes created by the machine are faster and better, and they fix themselves."

Tewari’s comments underscore the rapid advancement of AI in software development and its potential to disrupt traditional job roles. 

He urged professionals to adapt to the shifting landscape, emphasizing that AI will impact even the most specialized jobs first.

"Upgrade yourself, don't ask me to upgrade you. Because this is survival. The world underneath you is shifting," he cautioned employees.

Beyond software engineering, Tewari suggested that investors, too, could see their roles diminished. "The only part the model cannot replicate is human psychology. So, if you're good at reading people, then you have a job, but most investors are not good at reading people. They're good at business models."

InMobi has been accelerating its AI-first strategy in recent months. The company, which operates InMobi Ads, an advertising technology firm, and Glance, a consumer technology platform, is integrating AI at the core of its operations. 

Earlier this week, Glance announced a partnership with Google Cloud to develop generative AI solutions for its smart lock screen technology, reinforcing InMobi's AI-driven transformation.

The company has also been securing capital to fuel its AI push. In September, the SoftBank-backed firm raised $100 million in debt financing from MARS Growth Capital to enhance AI development and deployment.

Tewari has been vocal about the necessity of AI adoption. "By now, you are either going to be a GenAI-led company, or you will not survive. It is a winner-takes-most market and early players will have a disproportionate advantage," he was quoted as saying in an Economic Times report in September last year.