Artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of software engineering. At SAP, a leading software company headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, AI has taken over significant portions of traditional engineering roles. It assists employees with tasks like brainstorming, competitor research, and writing and testing code.
Fabrizio Primerano, a software engineer at SAP, finds his job evolving. His routine tasks have decreased, allowing him more time to manage and mentor AI agents. These bots function like personal assistants, simulating tasks that were previously handled by human employees. “It’s freeing me up to do more of this creative work,” shares Primerano.
SAP, known as Europe’s largest software company by market value, is adopting a proactive stance on AI. The company’s leadership recognizes that AI is reducing the need for traditional roles among their engineers. Two years ago, this shift resulted in SAP cutting nearly 10,000 jobs. Although SAP has not specified how many of these were AI-related, it is clear that AI is impacting employment.
In response to these changes, SAP encourages its workforce to create new, valuable roles supported by advancing technology. Despite the restructuring, SAP has added over 3,500 net jobs since 2023. New positions such as “forward-deployed engineers” have emerged. These employees collaborate directly with customers on AI-driven solutions.
“I’m not sure if here someone in two or three years will still code software,” says Christian Klein, SAP’s chief executive. “But we will have a very different workforce.”
SAP’s approach highlights a trend in the tech industry. Companies are not just looking to cut jobs through AI but are aiming to evolve roles within the organization. This shift towards AI-enhanced roles allows employees to focus more on creative and strategic tasks, driving both personal growth and company innovation.