For the last few years, Big Tech pushed a blunt message: AI will replace developers, automate entire departments, and become systemic to every part of life. That story drove panic, boardroom decisions, and layoffs framed as "efficiency" or "AI transformation." But here we are in 2026, and the promised overhaul still hasn't arrived.

In this video, I break down what was claimed, why it was claimed, and what actually happened. You'll see how the AI narrative split into two groups: the insiders who understand the limitations but keep selling the dream because revenue and valuation depend on it, and the downstream leaders who repeat the messaging because their businesses now rely on AI being "the future."

This isn't an anti-AI rant. It's a reality check. We'll talk about what AI is genuinely good for today (narrow, high-leverage assistance), where it fails (end-to-end replacement of complex engineering work), and how to protect yourself and your organization from the next hype cycle.