Massive is 42 years old. He's been in the tech industry for nearly 20 years. He survived the 2008 financial crisis — laid off, found a new job within months. He survived the pandemic layoffs — same thing. Each time, his computer science degree and project experience got him back on his feet quickly.

This time is different.

In April 2024, he was working as a senior software engineer at a metaverse company in California, making $150,000 a year. Then he was let go. At first, he was confident. He had the credentials, the experience, the track record. Interviews would come pouring in.

They didn't.

Over the past year, Massive has sent out more than 800 resumes. He's received fewer than 10 interview invitations. Some of those interviews weren't even with human HR — they were with AI bots. "I felt like a transparent person. I didn't even get a chance to enter the real recruitment process. Humans never saw my resume — I was filtered out by AI algorithms before that."

Most of his applications disappeared into the void — not rejected by human interviewers, but filtered out by AI resume screening tools before a human ever saw them. The irony isn't lost on him: the very technology that replaced him is now gatekeeping his re-entry.

He's considered retraining, getting certifications, even getting a commercial driver's license (CDL) for truck driving. But the costs are too high, and after 20 years in one industry, the barrier to switching is overwhelming. For now, he lives in a small RV to save on rent, delivers food via DoorDash, and sells belongings on eBay. It all adds up to a few hundred dollars a month — not even what he used to make in a week.

Surprisingly, Massive doesn't blame AI. He calls himself an "AI Maximalist." "If AI can genuinely write better than me, I wouldn't be sad about it. It lacks 'human touch,' but it's genuinely more efficient — that's a fact."

What disappoints him is how companies chose to deploy the technology. "Companies use AI to cut costs and shed talent instead of using it to amplify teams. If one AI can replace 10 people, they fire 9 programmers — instead of asking: 'I now have 10 programmers + 10 AIs — can we 100x our output?'"

He writes about his experience on Substack, advocating for middle-aged programmers who've been "marginalized by AI." "We can't pretend everything is normal. 'Being replaced by AI' is no longer a vague future scenario — it's a battlefield that's unfolding right now."

"Companies don't lack AI — they lack imagination."