AI won't replace you. But people who use AI will replace those who don't.
Wrong Question
Everyone asks: "Will AI replace me?"
Wrong.
The real question: Do you know yourself?
Mirror and Amplifier
Both using Cursor:
Li Ming: 8 years backend dev. Before Cursor, fastest coder. After Cursor, became the slowest.
Why? Cursor's code was identical to his own. Both just "works, whatever."
Zhang Wei: Same 8 years, but with a quirk—obsessed with edge cases.
After Cursor, became irreplaceable.
He let Cursor generate basic code in 20% of the time. Spent 80% optimizing edge cases.
Result: Bug rate 90% below team average.
AI is a mirror. Mediocre in, mediocre amplified. Excellent in, unstoppable out.
The 100x Formula
agency + strengths + AI = 100x
Most people think: 10x + 10x = 20x.
Wrong. It's 10x × 10x = 100x.
First 10x: Speed dividend. AI makes everyone 10x faster.
Second 10x: Quality dividend. With unique perspective, you make AI output 10x better.
Those who understand compounding get 100x. Those who don't get 10x.
Three Words
Agency: How you see problems differently from AI, from others, from standard answers. Your "cognitive fingerprint."
Strengths: Skills you spent massive time building. Not what you learned—what became muscle memory.
AI: Amplifier. Magnifies your agency and strengths 100x.
But if you have nothing? AI just exposes your emptiness.
Three Steps
1. Find your way
Ask yourself: How do I see problems differently? What skills did I spend years building? What am I obsessively meticulous about?
2. Lean into your strengths
Make a list: Left side—what AI can do. Right side—what only you can do. Ruthlessly cut 80% from the left. All in on the 20% on the right.
3. Believe in human agency
Let AI amplify your thinking, not replace it.
The Essence
Tools will keep spreading. Prompts will get simpler. AI will get stronger.
But one thing AI can never do: Become you.
Your perspective, your judgment, your life path—these define your uniqueness.
AI is just an amplifier. What it amplifies is you.
Stop asking "Will I be replaced?" Ask: "Do I know who I am?"
