It’s been a confusing time for software developers. They were used to cooking for themselves: agile, nimble, and mostly concerned about whether their code tastes good to them. However, they started playing around with an InstaPot in 2023 and felt a little like the kitchen jack of all trades. Then the kitchen manager told them never to put anything in the InstaPot — especially not the secret sauce. Next, the general manager said they had to use only the InstaPot and use it as much as possible, and for as long as possible. Then the power bill came due, and the restaurant owners put a stop to that. Today, it feels like developers are wearing the toque blanche and facing a hundred kitchen robots. Are they ready to prepare the next 12-course meal? Here’s what will happen in 2027:

  • At least one big kitchen will go up in flames. As organizations change the role of the developer from home cook to executive chef, they’re focusing on speed. However, they’re not keeping up with the cultural changes, training, and process changes that come with it. As a result, the customer who ordered coq au vin is getting raw chicken. In the same way, AI-generated code will reach production in 2027 without sufficient review or accountability — enough to blow up a company. The fault isn’t that the kitchen used an AI food processor. Instead, the problem is with the way the kitchen runs. Customers won’t stay when three-star restaurants start bringing slop to the diners — or when enterprises deliver poor quality, unstable products.
  • 15% of staff will be looking for new roles. The prep cooks who aren’t bringing their own opinions and taste to the kitchen are going to discover that appliances work faster and longer than they can. Similarly, the AI developers who have become meat proxies and are just clicking “accept” on AI-generated code will find themselves out of work. The ones who remain will be those who understand what good architecture looks like, what makes things easier to use, and what the customer actually wants. Not every developer who’s currently slicing onions for a living will get laid off. A healthy proportion of them have good taste of their own and can add new specialties to the menu. Smart kitchens and companies will be taking advantage of that.
  • 35% of organizations will add automated testing on the line. A critical role in the kitchen is the expo, who does the final quality test before food goes to diners. But that’s too late at AI speeds — if the dish doesn’t pass, you often have to throw it away. As throughput goes up, that means more and more waste. Instead, organizations will need to test using both probabilistic and deterministic code to get their build pipelines executing faster and more reliably, especially as more AI features find their way into products. It’s important to make sure the béarnaise isn’t spoiled before you put it on a thousand steaks.

Leaders Bring The Back And Front Of House Together

Right now, a lot of restaurant owners still have unrealistic expectations of AI. Yes, it’s part of the head chef’s job to make sure every cook in the kitchen learns how to use the new equipment safely. That doesn’t mean you make every meal with it. It’s not clear exactly what the kitchen of the future will look like, but you’ll need to pay close attention to customer preferences, and your people will still be responsible for what goes out. Their taste and governance will decide if you’re serving a tasting menu or cafeteria fare. Leaders who think of their developers as mere order takers will face empty dining rooms; those who can help their developers understand what customers want, and why, will be the ones with queues out the door.

Are you ready to get the full meal? Non-clients can get complimentary appetizers on the public Predictions 2027 hub. Clients, come and get it: The report, Predictions 2027: Software Development, has more insights on how to ready your teams, rethink your talent strategy, and cook up success. Clients can also learn how to put these predictions into action during our live webinar and can see all predictions in our client hub.

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