Something subtle is happening in dev work right now. We’re becoming more productive… but less engaged. And not many people are talking about it. AI didn’t remove work. It removed struggle Modern workflow looks like this: AI writes the boilerplate AI suggests architecture AI generates first drafts AI fixes common bugs So what’s left for us? Reviewing output Stitching systems together Fixing edge cases Writing prompts instead of code It still feels like work. But it doesn’t always feel like creation . The real issue: no more dopamine loop Programming used to feel like: problem → struggle → insight → solution → reward Now it often feels like: prompt → output → tweak → repeat The “struggle” and “breakthrough” steps are shrinking. And that matters more than it sounds. Because those steps are where motivation comes from. Productivity is up. Satisfaction is not.…