Ayush Raj Jha
- Ayush Raj Jha said he worries about AI's impact on software engineering.
- Jha said tech layoffs have created "constant fear and uncertainty" for H-1B visa holders.
- He shared how he's adapting to an evolving software engineering industry.
When Ayush Raj Jha moved from India to Illinois in 2018 to pursue a master's degree in computer science, he was optimistic about the future of software engineering.
Now, after years of layoffs and the rapid rise of AI, he's worried about the future of his industry — and his long-term future in the US.
Jha is one of hundreds of thousands of workers in the US on an H-1B visa, for whom losing a job can mean more than losing a paycheck. They generally have 60 days to find a new employer or risk losing their legal status in the US.
Major employers in tech rely heavily on H-1B workers. Federal data shows that the "Magnificent 7" companies, including the likes of Amazon and Apple, have had more than 200,000 H-1B applications approved since October 2020.
"It's really started impacting the lives of people who are on visas," Jha said. "There's constant fear and uncertainty."
He's among the tech workers who are looking for ways to stay competitive in an evolving industry. Some are responding by working harder and learning AI skills, while others are preparing for job searches or actively seeking more secure roles.
AI's impact on software engineering
After earning a master's degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2020, Jha joined Motorola Solutions as a software engineer, where he worked on software for public safety agencies. In 2022, he joined Oracle as a senior software engineer, where he helped build cloud infrastructure used to deploy healthcare software to hospitals. ChatGPT was released late that year.
Since then, Jha said two things have reinforced his concerns about AI's impact on software engineering. The first is his experience using AI tools.
Ayush Raj Jha
To stay competitive, Jha said he spends an estimated eight to 10 hours a week outside of work taking online courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera, experimenting with coding tools, and contributing to open-source projects. Seeing what the technology can do firsthand has both impressed and worried him, he said.
"If we don't adapt to these new technologies, it just becomes impossible to stay relevant or even be employable at this point," he said.
The second is LinkedIn. He said posts about tech layoffs have become a regular sight on his feed, serving as a constant reminder of how quickly the industry is changing.
Business Insider is speaking with workers who've found themselves at a corporate crossroads — whether due to a layoff, resignation, job search, or shifting workplace expectations.
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Moving on from Oracle
Earlier this year, Jha started looking for a more senior, higher-paying role where he could make a bigger impact.
Layoffs at Oracle, most recently in March, had heightened his concerns about job security. While his primary focus was career advancement, he also hoped to find an employer that could offer greater stability, in part because of his visa status.
Jha said his job search was fairly challenging, which he expected given the hiring slowdown across parts of the tech sector. Eventually, he found a staff software engineer opening at a customer service software company that came with a higher title and pay than his position at Oracle.
The company's reputation for a strong engineering culture and ability to attract skilled professionals from diverse backgrounds was also a draw, Jha said. And it was privately owned, so Jha believed it might face less short-term pressure from market expectations, quarterly earnings, and shareholders — dynamics he hoped would make the role more secure than one at a public company.
Jha accepted an offer in July. Before starting with his new employer in September, Jha said he plans to take a roughly two-month career break while his H-1B transfer is finalized.
Advice for other engineers
Jha believes his more than a decade of experience as a software engineer helped him land his new role, but he also believes his online coursework and open-source contributions were important.
"I always try to stay up to date with market trends and emerging technologies rather than only focusing on day-to-day company work or simply building my resume," he said.
Jha said his advice to tech workers, regardless of their visa status, is to always be prepared to interview for their next job.
"At this point with AI adoption, it does not matter how well you perform even at your current company — you could be replaceable," he said.
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