Sam Altman’s thank-you to coders draws the memes

If you need a cathartic release from the news that Amazon laid off 16,000 workers, Block chopped nearly half its workforce, Atlassian pared back 10% of staffers, and Meta is reportedly considering another massive round of layoffs, all in the name of AI, then we invite you to browse the responses to a recent Sam Altman post on X. Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, shared this on Tuesday: “I have so much gratitude to people who wrote extremely complex software character-by-character. It already feels difficult to remember how much effort it really took. Thank you for getting us to this point.” I have so much gratitude to people who wrote extremely complex software character-by-character. It already feels difficult to remember how much effort it really took.Thank you for getting us to this point.— Sam Altman (@sama) March 17, 2026 The problem with that sweet sentiment is that Altman’s company ushered in the AI now being used as an excuse for developer layoffs and fewer junior developer jobs. And it did so by training on massive volumes of code written the old-fashioned way — by the very people he’s now thanking. His post implies that developers’ genuinely difficult-to-master craft is now like a rotary telephone: outdated and unnecessary. Naturally, Altman’s comments attracted memes and responses richer than his post. While some were straight-up angry, (“You’re welcome. Nice to know that our reward is our jobs being taken away”), much of the internet did what it always does: cracked jokes. There are thousands of comments. Some of our favorites: Techcrunch event Disrupt 2026: The tech ecosystem, all in one room Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $400. Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelyOffer ends March 13. San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 REGISTER NOW “Sam’s eulogy for software engineers”“It’s times like this when I really miss the Sam Altman parody account” “Dear devs You will lose your jobs forever and be forced to work in the coal mines But you can rest easy knowing sam Altman is grateful. ❤️ 🙏” “Billion dollar app idea: AI that reads billionaire tweets before they post them and says ‘this is going to make you sound incredibly out of touch, are you sure?’” “I have gratitude to OpenAI for doing all the AI work so I can have free Chinese open source AI models to use 🙏” “This reads like something the Mayans would say right before the ceremony starts.” And finally, another reason to trot out this meme: pic.twitter.com/YLn5U8Fqx5— orvelis (@orvelis_io) March 17, 2026 Topics AI, Layoffs, sam altman, TC Julie Bort Venture Editor Julie Bort is the Startups/Venture Desk editor for TechCrunch. You can contact or verify outreach from Julie by emailing julie.bort@techcrunch.com or via @Julie188 on X.

View Bio June 9 Boston, MA Actively scaling? Fundraising? Planning your next launch?TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 delivers tactical playbooks and direct access to 1,000+ founders and investors who are building, backing, and closing. REGISTER NOW Most Popular Why Garry Tan’s Claude Code setup has gotten so much love, and hate Julie Bort Apple quietly launches AirPods Max 2 Aisha Malik The billionaires made a promise — now some want out Connie Loizos US Army announces contract with Anduril worth up to $20B Anthony Ha Honda is killing its EVs — and any chance of competing in the future Tim De Chant Meta reportedly considering layoffs that could affect 20% of the company Anthony Ha ‘Not built right the first time’ — Musk’s xAI is starting over again, again Tim Fernholz