But not because of AI, they only use that as pretext for normal layoffs. Sometimes they also use it to hire cheaper workers fresh from school or a cheaper country, so just replacing expensive seniors.
From what I'm seeing, it's become more and more difficult for fresh grads to get hired over the last year. If anything, I see that the preference for experienced devs is now even stronger. If you have any evidence to the contrary, I'd appreciate it.
The Shopify and Cloudflare intern thing is interesting: both companies have committed to hiring way more interns, on the basis that an intern armed with AI-assistance can get productive way faster (plus they are more likely to be "AI-native" than older engineers.)