How AI Is Reshaping Coding Jobs for Returning New Moms

When Danielle stepped away from her software development role in mid-2024 to embrace new motherhood, the coding world she left behind looked very different from the one she returned to a year later. AI-powered coding tools had gone from a fringe novelty to a workplace expectation virtually overnight. Now, as she navigates re-entering the workforce, the skills she once relied on for job security feel obsolete. “The skills that I had learned,rote development skills,we are now expected to outsource to AI,” she explains, asking to use only her first name to protect future job prospects.

The tech industry’s biggest players are betting heavily on this transformation. Mark Zuckerberg predicted in April that AI would write most of Meta’s code within 18 months, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently described AI coding to WIRED as “one of these rare multitrillion-dollar markets.” The shift has rattled software engineers across the board, but the impact is especially harsh for new mothers who, by sheer timing, missed the transition while on leave.

Danielle, who worked for a car company in Portland, Oregon, sums up the emotional toll: “The kind of work I was doing before, I would like to do again. I think I was good at it. But I recognize that job will never exist again.” The release of coding automation tools from Anthropic and OpenAI in May 2025 fundamentally changed the profession, moving it from composition to oversight,a shift some call vibe coding. Learning this new workflow isn’t rocket science, but returning moms face a significant disadvantage compared to colleagues who have had months to adapt.

A UK project manager on maternity leave, who asked for anonymity to avoid employer retaliation, says her manager suggested she brush up on AI while out. “It made me feel very vulnerable,” she recalls. Before her leave, AI was used sporadically for small tasks like auto-completing code. Now, her agency wants AI to play a larger role. She resents the expectation: “The likelihood of me spending my statutory maternity pay on an AI course … is slim to none. This is not something I should be spending my maternity leave doing.” Still, she fears that falling behind could make her a target for layoffs.

Not all experiences are negative. Mary McCreary, a data engineer at a US health tech company, says her employer helped her get up to speed with AI tools upon her return. Initially skeptical, she now values AI for explaining coworkers’ code. “The thing that I hate most about being an engineer is having to review other people’s code,” she admits. Yet the technology has also reshaped her day-to-day work. “The downside is that I don’t get any time to do tedious tasks that would be not a lot of effort for my brain,” she says. “I’m always looking at hard problems, because I’ve offloaded all of the tedium.”

For another software engineer in Minnesota, AI coding tools provided a lifeline during a difficult postpartum return to work. “I definitely was not ready to return,” she says, requesting anonymity to speak freely. “Your body is filled with all these hormones and your brain changes to the point that all you can fixate on is that child.” The ability to offload tasks requiring deep concentration,like debugging,to AI “was incredibly helpful,” she adds. While the industry races toward an AI-driven future, these women’s stories highlight how the speed of change can leave even the most skilled workers struggling to keep up.