The Automation Paradox: When Making Things Easier Makes Them Worth Less

Software engineers automate processes. We make machines generate value[^1] like tireless robotic hamsters in little virtual wheels. Ironically, the moment a process gets fully automated, it becomes a commodity. Enough competitors automate it, and price gets dictated by supply/demand, not the value it creates. The Web Development Story Take web development from the early 2000s. If you knew HTML,…