The last time my family was replaced by technology

My great-great-grandfather, a farrier in the rural village of Mandres-en-Barrois, France, once feared technology would replace his role. Witnessing the arrival of a car next door or reading about it in the newspaper, he eventually transitioned from shoeing horses and repairing carts to becoming a mechanic, just as every man in his family did after him.

While he undoubtedly experienced grief at leaving behind his horse-shoeing trade, he maintained his purpose of helping people move around, albeit with a different technology—engines instead of horses. This reflection on my family's history resonates with the concerns many developers face today, as they grapple with the uncertainty of what their jobs will look like in an increasingly automated world.

Although it's easy to argue that artificial intelligence marks the biggest revolution since the Industrial Revolution, it's crucial not to overlook the struggles of those who witnessed the first wave of change—farmers witnessing tractors or farriers witnessing cars. Although the torments of my great-great-grandfather have been forgotten over time, the garage has remained a family tradition—a place where my father found his passion, just as countless others in our family had done before him.

The focus has always been on helping others move around, whether it was through horse-shoeing or through coding. While not every member of our family followed the same path, the core purpose of assisting others in their mobility has persisted. Perhaps the joy of our work lies not solely in the act of coding, but in the desire to create, solve problems, and witness the impact of our creations on people's lives.

After all, many of us aspired to become developers long before we even learned to code, driven by the innate desire to build video games or websites. The passion resides in the "why" before the "how."