The "how" of software development is becoming commoditized and cheap. Knowing "how" to build software is quickly becoming zero value due to AI.

The value is now on "why" we build software (as a solution to the specific needs of specific industries) and on "what" components need to be built as actual solutions to industry-specific problems.

One cannot be a generic software engineer anymore in 2026. One needs to be a niche software engineer in a specific field with knowledge of the business domain (in my case, law) to retain value.