[dragonwriter]

> We are already starting to see automated programming moving out of the research lab and into the commercial realm

Every step in programming tooling since programs stopped being input as manual hardware configuration has been automation of programming, and its just made more work, and higher paying work, for programmers.

[petra]

The main reason there's more programming work, is because machines are capable to do more(connectivity, mobility, ux, marketing, etc).

[mdtusz]

What do you think enabled these things?

[eru]

Advances in hardware and software.

[exporectomy]

Not the same programmers though nor the same job though. The job of programmer-by-plugging-in-wires was still eliminated.

[dragonwriter]

> Not the same programmers though nor the same job though.

The details of job changed, as more low level pieces of it were automated leaving the higher-level, more abstract bits, but for most of the changes, while some either bailed for other work or rode the dying embers of the old way to retirement, programmers generally adapted.