Ex-Meta manager says just 2% of engineers are winning the AI era

Former Meta engineering manager Kun Chen told Business Insider that roughly 2% of engineers are using AI “very effectively,” producing outsized productivity gains while most see only a 10–15% boost from shallow AI use. Chen says firms are reallocating their most impactful projects to that small cohort, accelerating execution and potentially leaving slower teams behind amid tech layoffs and reorganizations at major companies. He urges engineers to adopt a continuous-learning mindset and focus on agentic engineering rather than specific tools. Market implications include a potential shift in talent allocation and project prioritization at tech firms, which could influence hiring, team structures, and competitive advantages for companies that cultivate high-AI-productivity workers.