Instead of media fever – a factual debate. Without an event side, no campaign in social media. A intimate meeting of people who want to honestly and openly talk about the condition of the industry. This was the meeting “Hard Reset or Update? How to turn off and enable the IT industry in Poland again?”, Organized by No Fluff Jobs and Kampus 42 Warsaw.
– On the one hand, we have great programmers building global solutions, on the other – media headers with the crisis and the end of the profession of programmer by AI. We wanted to check what the situation in IT really looks like – commented Karol Kapuściński, Head of Growth No Fluff Jobs.
Representatives of technology companies, entrepreneurs, educators, regulators and programmers themselves took part in the debate. The goal was one: check what the situation in Polish IT really looks like today and what the next wave of change will bring.
Experts do not ignore the problems: the number of offers is falling, big techs are cutting teams, war and inflation affect investors' decisions. But instead of a breakdown – we have a moment of sober balance.
The bubble cracked, but this is not the end of the world
Marek Wesołek openly admitted that he did not miss the “golden period” of the IT industry: – of course it was prosperity years. The money agreed, the projects came by themselves. It was enough to hire people, add a margin and there was a mountain of gold. But this unrestrained growth attracted many random people to the industry without appropriate competences – he explained. In his opinion, normality is coming back today. – We don't have a crash, we have a correction of errors.
Adam Trojańczyk pointed out that the current situation is the result of a weave of many factors, both external and internal. He pointed out that after Pocovid Hurraophymmism, geopolitical events came, which prompted companies to caution and revise their plans. He also explained how large technology companies used artificial intelligence as a justification for exemptions, paradoxically gaining in the eyes of investors.
Technology assembly or innovation center?
Karol Kapuściński raised a topic well known to the industry: is Poland today a technological assembly plant? This question affects the heart of the Polish IT industry, which is largely based on providing services to Western companies, instead of developing its own products.
– We are building solutions for the largest players in the world, but not for ourselves – noted Kapuściński. – We need VC funds that will support product companies – not just software house.
Prof. Piotr Sankowski emphasized that changing this situation requires a comprehensive reconstruction of the entire ecosystem: – In Poland we have a lot of software house, but we don't have so many product companies that are successful.
The expert drew attention to the problem of the mental barrier: – In Poland, very few people decide to leave the corporation and start their own company. We must teach people to entrepreneurship. This is missing today.
Ai does not receive work – it changes its character
Although the pace of transformation can be intimidated, the participants of the debate were agreed: the wave of unemployment in IT will not be waiting for us. The profession of a programmer does not disappear but transforms.
– The way of working changes. The needs of creating software are growing – noted prof. Piotr Sankowski. – Programmer, instead of writing the code yourself, will more often explain AI what this code is to do.
Oskar Lakner, a programmer and entrepreneur, added: – This is not a bad moment for IT. He is just different. And for those who want to create their own projects – even perfect. In his opinion, it is today, thanks to AI tools and open resources, the technological threshold for the startup founders is lower than ever.
The unanimous conclusion of the debate was the huge weight of soft skills in the IT industry. – Empathy, curiosity, communication – this AI will not replace – emphasized Aleksandra Czetwertyńska from the 42 Warsaw campus.
Juniors – investment, not cost
Contrary to appearances, companies still have a problem finding good candidates to start. Although there are more courses graduates, in practice many of them do not find themselves in the realities of teamwork.
“A good junior leaves the market in a week,” said Lakner. – But only when he knows why he is here, he wants to learn and is arranged in his head.
The entrepreneur emphasized that instead of expecting independence after three weeks of onboarding, companies should invest in development. Shadowing, mentoring, regular feedback – these are conditions that allow juniors to grow. – We don't employ people to work. Let's employ them to build a career.
Perspective development areas
Monika Borowiecka, Founding Partner at Tangent Line Ventures, indicated three strategic sectors in which a technological breakthrough can take place: Agritech, Longevity Medicine and Dual-USE solutions, i.e. civil and military technologies.
Estonia appeared among the examples of positive changes. The country that introduced a 30-year startup strategy independent of current policy today attracts investments and creates scalable technology companies.
– This is missing in Poland. Changing the government means stopping programs. We need a long -term vision for innovation – emphasized Borowiecka.
Optimistic future
The debate ended with a consistent conclusion: the market is changing, but it does not curl. Instead of dramatic slogans – you need a cool rating and long -term thinking.
– We leave this meeting with very positive conclusions. It turns out that it is better than we think. There is still work for good specialists. A very important issue is to understand that we have still not solved the problem of a shortage of specialists and experts on the Polish market. And here AI can be a chance for us to develop technologically further. However, we need a stronger ecosystem for Polish programmers to create technologies not only for foreign giants, but also for native companies. – summed up Karol Kapuściński.
Participants of the meeting declared their willingness to continue the dialogue. As emphasized by Dorota Piekarska, Marketing Project Manager and HR Expert No Fluff Jobs: – We will use the opportunity only if we join forces – education, business and technology must start speaking in a common language.
