This is even more true in 2026 with AI coding agents. The code itself is becoming commoditized — AI can write it faster than most humans. What AI can't do (yet) is:
The senior dev's value was never in typing speed. It was in judgment. AI just made that distinction impossible to ignore.
The practical implication: if you're a junior dev competing on "I can write code fast," you're competing against a $20/month tool. If you're developing judgment, communication, and systems thinking, you're building skills that compound regardless of what the tools look like in 5 years.