Company that makes tools for developers says it will hire more AI agents than humans this year
StackBlitz CEO Eric Simons says the company will soon have more AI agents than human employees, placing a big bet on automated digital workers. This is likely to jeopardize human jobs. Read the full story to know more.
A company that makes tools for developers says it plans to hire more AI agents than human employees this year. Instead of expanding its team with people, it will increase the number of software agents working inside the company. This alone tells you how seriously it is taking artificial intelligence.
Eric Simmons, CEO of StackBlitz, believes this is the direction modern software companies are moving in. For them, AI agents are no longer just assistants who assist engineers with code. They are becoming active contributors to the entire business.
AI agents are moving from supporting roles to main operations, human jobs are at risk
In an interview with Business Insider, Simmons said that StackBlitz “has become completely dependent on agents.” The company is using internally built AI systems in coding, product development, business intelligence, customer support, and outbound sales. These agents are not experimental tools running in the background. They are being entrusted with actual tasks that directly impact the functioning of the company.
From my perspective, it changes the way we think about hiring. Traditionally, development has meant adding engineers, sales teams, and support executives. Now, StackBlitz is growing digital employees that can work around the clock, handle multiple tasks simultaneously and scale without the usual constraints of time zones or working hours.
Simmons believes that the role of these agents will extend far beyond the internal work of the company. “For me, this is a crystal ball into the wildness of the inevitable future,” he said. He imagines AI agents communicating with other agents on users’ behalf, negotiating prices, checking restaurant availability or even debating approaches online. “Agents are an extension of you,” he said. “People will generally trust their agents in whatever they advise them to buy, reserve, trust or otherwise.”
Early signs of this model are already there. One example is OpenClaw, an open-source AI assistant that works inside platforms like WhatsApp, Slack, and iMessage. It allows digital agents to coordinate and exchange information with limited human input. Still in the early stages, such systems show how AI tools can interact directly with each other.
Simmons also linked this development to the recent decline in software and SaaS stocks. He believes investors are realizing that AI can now create and modify software much faster than before. If programs could be written, rewritten, or transferred at a speed 100 or 10,000 times greater than traditional methods, companies that once relied on specialized expertise might face stiffer competition.
He compared the current moment to the changes seen in the manufacturing sector. Previously, deep craft knowledge protected occupations. Over time, automation and digital design tools made production easier and cheaper. In his view, software may be entering a similar phase.
The idea of having more AI agents than humans inside a company raises big questions. This may improve efficiency and reduce costs, but it also challenges how we define the workforce. If StackBlitz succeeds in working smoothly with this model, others in the tech industry may also start experimenting in the same direction.
