A vision of 2034: The tech industry’s shift towards generalism
Imagine it’s 2034. The tech industry has undergone a seismic shift: generalists are steering the ship, while years of hard-won, specialized knowledge are dismissed. The demand for rapid, adaptable skills now overshadows the value of deep-rooted expertise. What does this mean for technology — and for those who build it?
In today’s landscape, the pendulum is already swinging towards generalism. Companies increasingly seek individuals with broad, versatile skills. The need for fast learning and adaptability stems from the relentless pace of market changes, innovation, and disruption. But this shift comes with trade-offs — particularly at the expense of accumulated expertise and the wisdom that can only come from years of experience.
The generalist’s role in tech
Generalists bring some value to the industry. They can wear multiple hats, solve a variety of problems, and inject cross-disciplinary perspectives. Their wide-ranging skills allow them to jump from coding to strategy to UX design. As teams become more fluid and interdisciplinary, generalists can help make organizations leaner, more agile, and seemingly better equipped for a fast-paced future where change is constant.
However, there’s a downside. The “jack-of-all-trades, master of none” dilemma risks creating a workforce where depth is sacrificed for breadth. Generalists may provide quick fixes but lack the deep expertise needed for robust, long-term solutions. And as technological breakthroughs accelerate — especially in areas like **AI and automation** — generalists are at increasing risk of being left behind. Specialists who have spent decades honing their craft, staying on the cutting edge of fields like machine learning, deep learning, or cloud architecture, will have a distinct advantage. Generalists, by contrast, may find that their surface-level knowledge isn’t enough to keep up with the intricacies and speed of these emerging technologies.
AI, in particular, is evolving so rapidly that it requires continuous, dedicated focus. Generalists, who must constantly shift gears and juggle diverse responsibilities, may not have the bandwidth to delve deeply enough into such complex fields. Without this depth, they risk being outpaced by advancements they don’t fully understand — leading to a scenario where they’re managing technologies they can no longer meaningfully contribute to.
The disregard for experience
Compounding this issue is the growing trend of undervaluing life experience in tech. Youth and speed are often prioritized, and seasoned professionals are seen as liabilities — deemed too slow to adapt or resistant to new technologies. This dismissiveness overlooks the tremendous value of perspective. Years of experience bring a deep understanding of past failures, cultural shifts, and market realities — nuances that can’t be learned from a PowerPoint persona.
Face-to-face interaction with customers, grappling with real-world problems, and understanding the subtleties of human behavior are irreplaceable. When companies sideline experienced professionals in favor of the newest generalists, they lose critical insights and risk repeating past mistakes. Without the voice of experience in decision-making, there’s a real danger of relying on unproven theories instead of hard-earned lessons.
People also seem to forget that experienced professionals have been learning for years, even decades, and often, well before the advent of YouTube and TikTok, videos and whiteboards would map out potential solutions to customer challenges.
This issue is even more evident in marketing, where generalists often rely on agencies or consultants, further isolating themselves from real customer pain points. This reliance leads to strategies based on secondhand information rather than genuine insights, often resulting in trendy, hollow messaging that misses the mark.
A shallow workforce: The risks
The rise of generalism and the marginalization of experience may lead to a future where tech becomes more disposable. Products could be built to iterate rapidly but lack durability. Innovation may be fast but devoid of depth, creating flashy but unstable offerings.
As AI and other emerging technologies continue to evolve, generalists might struggle to stay relevant. The tech landscape will demand specialists who can deeply engage with these technologies and ensure they’re not just implemented but understood and optimized. In this future, generalists may find themselves increasingly dependent on experts to fill in gaps they can no longer manage on their own.
This shift might also erode tech mentorship. With experienced professionals being nudged out, the next generation needs guides to help them navigate challenges beyond the technical. While technical issues may be solvable, leadership, empathy, and crisis management often require the wisdom of those who have been through it before. Without these mentors, the industry risks losing technical depth and human understanding.
Striking a balance: Generalists and specialists
Generalists have a place, but balance is essential. Rather than discarding specialization, tech companies should seek to harness the power of both. Pairing generalists with specialists can create powerful synergies: the former sees the forest, while the latter knows every tree.
To build a sustainable future, we need depth and breadth — fast learners and experts, youth and experience, agility and knowledge forged over decades. As AI and other disruptive technologies continue to accelerate, we mustn’t lose the specialists who can truly keep pace. Suppose we continue to favor generalists and dismiss experience. In that case, we risk creating an industry adrift on trends and quick fixes, unmoored from the depth and wisdom that have long powered meaningful technological progress.
Will Kelly is a writer and content strategist. He writes about AI, DevOps, and the cloud for major IT publications. He also works with commercial clients. The English Major in him drives Will to still write for fun when he has a chance. Follow him on X: @willkelly or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/willkelly.
