The AI paradox: More automation, more humans, more work | Dan Shipper

Every CEO Dan Shipper predicts that the future of work will unfold inside AI coding tools like Codex and Claude Code, with every company eventually running a single “super-agent” in Slack that employees interact with daily. Shipper argues that automation is a lie, SaaS is not dead, and the AI job apocalypse is not happening—instead, forward deployed engineers will become the most essential role, and humans will read and enjoy far more AI-generated writing.

Dan Shipper is the co-founder and CEO of Every, a media and software company that’s become a living laboratory for the future of work. Everyone at his company of about 30 people is an AI early adopter; from editors to ops people, they use AI to do much of their work, giving Every a unique lens into where the world is heading. A year ago on this show, Dan predicted that people were sleeping on Claude Code for nontechnical work, which proved to be remarkably prescient. Today he’s back with another set of calls: the SaaS apocalypse is dumb, CLIs are over, the forward deployed engineer is the most valuable new hire, and the only thing you need to do to stay employed is ride the models. Listen on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts Dan’s predictions: The future of work will happen inside Codex or Claude Code. Every company will have one “super-agent” inside their Slack that every employee talks to regularly. SaaS is not dead—in fact, Dan is bullish on SaaS stocks. His contrarian take: “I would buy SaaS stocks right now.” SaaS economics will shift: users will bring their own AI tokens into apps, which actually improves SaaS margins. PMs will thrive in the AI era. Full-stack designers will become superheroes. The AI job apocalypse is not happening. Forward deployed engineer is the new most essential role. CLIs are over. Automation is a lie. We will read way more AI-generated writing and we will like it. We’ll be building software for humans and agents to use together. Brought to you by: WorkOS —Make your app enterprise-ready, with SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more Vanta —Automate compliance, manage risk, and accelerate trust with AI Where to find Dan Shipper: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danshipper/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/danshipper/ • Podcast: https://every.to/podcast https://every.to/podcast • Website: https://danshipper.com https://danshipper.com Referenced: • The AI-native startup: 5 products, 7-figure revenue, 100% AI-written code | Dan Shipper co-founder/CEO of Every : https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-every-dan-shipper https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-every-dan-shipper • Claude Cowork: https://claude.com/product/cowork https://claude.com/product/cowork • Codex: https://chatgpt.com/codex https://chatgpt.com/codex • Everyone should be using Claude Code more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyone-should-be-using-claude-code https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyone-should-be-using-claude-code • Every: https://every.to https://every.to • Kieran Klaassen on X: https://x.com/kieranklaassen https://x.com/kieranklaassen • Cora: https://cora.computer https://cora.computer • Kate Lee: https://every.to/@kate 1767 https://every.to/@kate 1767 • METR Model Evaluation and Threat Research : https://metr.org https://metr.org • OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai https://openclaw.ai • Shopify: https://www.shopify.com https://www.shopify.com • Ramp: https://ramp.com https://ramp.com • Brandon Gell on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandongell http://linkedin.com/in/brandongell • Proof: https://every.to/on-every/introducing-proof https://every.to/on-every/introducing-proof • Devin: https://devin.ai https://devin.ai • Cursor: https://cursor.com https://cursor.com • The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can’t stop using | Michael Truell co-founder and CEO : https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell • SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com https://www.spacex.com • GitHub: https://github.com https://github.com • Lenny’s post on X on AI changing job responsibilities: https://x.com/lennysan/status/2054664138039992600 https://x.com/lennysan/status/2054664138039992600 • General Assembly: https://generalassemb.ly https://generalassemb.ly • Marcus Moretti: https://every.to/@marcus fd8302 1 https://every.to/@marcus fd8302 1 • Spiral: https://every.to/on-every/introducing-spiral https://every.to/on-every/introducing-spiral • Axios: https://www.axios.com https://www.axios.com • Hermes: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com • Viktor: https://www.viktor.ai https://www.viktor.ai • The Dark Wizard on HBO: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/dark-wizard/76e78c26-21c9-45b4-b84b-4c3e1f8ff763 https://www.hbomax.com/shows/dark-wizard/76e78c26-21c9-45b4-b84b-4c3e1f8ff763 • Alex Honnold: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex Honnold https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex Honnold • 100 Foot Wave on HBO Max: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/100-foot-wave/34e489ad-2eca-4078-adb6-6d2b521b407e https://www.hbomax.com/shows/100-foot-wave/34e489ad-2eca-4078-adb6-6d2b521b407e • Rob Burbea talks: https://www.youtube.com/@boubabuddha/playlists https://www.youtube.com/@boubabuddha/playlists • David Goggins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David Goggins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David Goggins Recommended books: • The Golden Compass : https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Compass-His-Dark-Materials/dp/0807204714 https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Compass-His-Dark-Materials/dp/0807204714 • The Writing Life : https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Life-Annie-Dillard/dp/0060919884 https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Life-Annie-Dillard/dp/0060919884 • The Second World War : https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Volumes/dp/B005NS30ZG https://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Volumes/dp/B005NS30ZG • The Rigor of Angels: Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality : https://www.amazon.com/Rigor-Angels-Heisenberg-Ultimate-Reality/dp/0593315073 https://www.amazon.com/Rigor-Angels-Heisenberg-Ultimate-Reality/dp/0593315073 • The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York : https://www.amazon.com/Power-Broker-Robert-Moses-Fall/dp/0394720245 https://www.amazon.com/Power-Broker-Robert-Moses-Fall/dp/0394720245 Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ https://penname.co/ . For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email email protected /cdn-cgi/l/email-protection 1868777c7b796b6c58747d7676616a797b70716c6b7361367b7775 . Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.