A SignalFire analysis of 2025 hiring data indicates that engineering jobs demonstrated resilience despite widespread artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tech layoffs. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated in April 2026 that software engineers remain active even with AI's growing role in coding.

SignalFire, a venture firm, examined hiring data from millions of employees across over 80 million companies, focusing on actual workforce trends rather than layoff announcements. The firm's analysis concluded that engineering was the most resilient job function in 2025.

Total hiring across large technology companies decreased by 25% in 2025 compared to 2019 levels. However, engineering roles experienced an 11% decline in hiring during the same period. SignalFire identifies 12 companies as 'Tech Majors,' including Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Tesla, Uber, Airbnb, Block, and Stripe. Engineers constituted 55% of all new hires at these 'Tech Majors' in 2025, an increase from 46% in 2019. Early-stage startups collectively hired 7% more engineers in 2025 than in 2019.

SignalFire's head of research, Asher Bantock, referenced the prevailing narrative concerning AI and its impact on the workforce. "The rationale given for lots of layoffs is consistently AI, and specifically they'll say AI with respect to code; they'll say one engineer could do the job of however many engineers in the past," Bantock said. He added, "What we're seeing on the ground is a little inconsistent with that." Bantock further stated, "They're suddenly a lot more productive, and there's endless work for them to do."

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang rejected the theory that AI would replace engineers during a presentation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in April 2026. "Somebody said that AI is going to destroy all of the software engineering jobs," Huang said. He stated, "Software engineers are busier than ever," explaining that AI agents are now writing code near instantaneously, which pushes engineers to generate new ideas.