AI Made Me Homeless

Eric Elliott recounts how a once-lucrative software consulting and mentorship business unraveled after ChatGPT’s arrival. His technical blog, which had attracted about 700,000 monthly reads and generated clients, fell to roughly 7,000; as developers turned to AI tutors and coding assistants, fewer new customers replaced those who completed the program. After trying other formats, he spent a year seeking engineering leadership work, then joined Adobe to help build a shared platform for Firefly features. He says Adobe dismissed him in October 2025, before he could regain financial stability. Consulting briefly brought in substantial revenue, but that engagement ended early, income dried up, and he and his family were evicted. He now sleeps in his car while continuing to apply for jobs.

Elliott presents his experience as an early warning of broader labor-market disruption, not simply a personal setback. He argues that companies are using AI to operate with smaller teams, while layoffs and buyouts send experienced engineers, managers, and technical leaders into an overcrowded job market. He cites roughly 170,000 announced US technology job cuts in 2026 and Microsoft buyouts offered to about 60,000 employees, noting that buyouts can prompt workers to seek jobs elsewhere even without confirmed layoffs. His nearly three decades of experience, books, and work on widely used products have not secured an offer. He also challenges “just start a business” as an easy solution: AI makes building software more accessible, but finding customers remains difficult, and most apps already struggle to succeed in crowded markets.