Overall tech worker burnout rose to 55.7% in 2026.
Overall tech worker burnout rose to 55.7% in 2026.
@lennysan 53% would tell newcomers to pick something else. that's not a survey result, that's a resignation letter
@jonnym1ller 👏👏👏 @noamseg
The tech workforce is splitting in two A year ago, we ran the first large-scale survey of how tech workers feel about their jobs and careers. What emerged we summarized in four words: burned out, but optimistic. Today, we're back with the results from our 2026 survey, and it's a tale of two workforces. Half of tech right now feels amplified by AI—more capable, more confident, more excited than they've been in their entire career. The other half feels shaken by it—less sure of their value and whether there’s still a place for them. Which side of that line you fall on predicts how you feel about your career more than anything else, including your role, seniority, company size, or any other measure we collected. The workforce is bifurcating into two realities. A few other takeaways that surprised us: + Significant burnout jumped from 44.7% to 55.7% in one year, while career optimism fell from 54.8% to 48.7%. A worrisome trend. + 53% of tech workers would steer a newcomer away from a career in their own role, even when they're optimistic about their own future. + The biggest AI fear is of being squeezed to do more work. Only 22% worry about “losing my job to AI.” Far more worry about being expected to do more for the same pay, getting trapped in an unsustainable pace, and the quality of their work declining. The question that best predicts how a tech worker feels about their work, in 2026, is no longer "What do you do?" or "Where do you work?" It’s "What has AI done to your sense of who you are?" Read the full report here: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-tech-workers-are-feeling-in-2026
Designers and researchers are at the epicenter of AI anxiety Our large-scale survey of tech workers found that designers and researchers are the most negative across nearly every measure of how they feel about their careers. Amongst user researchers, 51% are “anxious about my job security,” and are the most likely to fear “losing my job to AI” (36%, just behind Data/Analytics at 38%). Among designers, 63% feel “overwhelmed by the pace of change” and 61% feel “tired,” the highest of any role. and designers are the most likely to feel the comp squeeze (61% selected “expected to do more for the same compensation”). Both functions also report the lowest willingness to recommend their field of any role, and designers report the worst-rated managers in the survey. We saw this trend in last year's survey, but it's gotten even worse a year later. Full report here: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-tech-workers-are-feeling-in-2026
We asked my readers: On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend a career in your role to a friend starting out today? More than half of working tech professionals would actively steer a newcomer away from their career path. Founders are, by far, at least as pessimistic about their path (and also the happiest people in tech). Designers and researchers are the most bearish on the future of their roles. At the same time, though, people in these roles today are feeling happy about their career choice. In other words: “The water’s fine, but don’t come in.
What anxious designers need to read and internalize: “Half of tech right now feels amplified by AI—more capable, more confident, more excited than they've been in their entire career. The other half feels shaken by it—less sure of their value and whether there’s still a place for them. Which side of that line you fall on predicts how you feel about your career more than anything else, including your role, seniority, company size, or any other measure we collected.” NO ONE gets a free pass through the AI transition. Participation in the new economy requires everyone to unlearn/relearn how their trade works with this new technology. The good news? No one has a head start. Change is uncomfortable, but not cause for career paralysis. You’ll be happier when you realize you’re all the more capable and productive with AI.
Massive shoutout to @noamseg for creating the survey, analyzing the results, and writing this report. Podcast episode with Noam diving deeper into the results coming soon 👀
@lennysan Me on Friday vs me on Monday
Ask a question below.
Published answers will appear here.
