Chennai techie earning Rs 8.9 LPA loses job after 13 years due to AI boom: ‘I never demanded a raise’

Chennai techie loses job after 13 years amid AI shift. (AI-generated representative image)

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how work is done across industries, and its impact is increasingly visible in the IT sector. Roles that once depended heavily on manual effort are now being automated or reduced. This ongoing shift has left many professionals reconsidering their long-term job security and skill relevance.

In a recent case shared online, a 36-year-old Quality Assurance (QA) professional from Chennai has spoken about losing their job after 13 years with the same company. The post, shared on Reddit, has sparked wide discussion around layoffs, changing skill demands, and the pressure to adapt in an AI-driven work environment.

Before explaining their work history in detail, they gave an overview of their experience and current situation in the QA field, along with their salary in Chennai. The techie wrote, “I'm 36. I have been a QA professional for almost 13 years. For most of our work, we did manual testing. We used SQL on back end for making basic tasks. I never demanded for a raise or a higher salary every year, though, while we finished tasks on time. I earn 8.9 LPA living in Chennai.”

The user also shared that moving between jobs had become increasingly difficult due to personal responsibilities and family-related health issues, which affected their ability to focus fully on career changes during a crucial period.

“Shifting job became a hellscape due to personal reasons of parent's health and wife issues (I'm divorced now through mutual concern) While this boom of AI is a factor, we have been actively making changes to our skill sets as well, but before we could prove ourselves, I got the ultimatum today,” they added.

The techie further confirmed that their long tenure with the company was coming to an end, despite attempts to resolve the situation through internal discussions. The user revealed, “Effective April 1st, I no longer am employed at my existing company i worked for 13 years. I have spoken with managers and HR resources, but to no avail.”

After sharing their situation, the techie user also reached out to the online community for practical advice. Instead of simply expressing frustration, they asked for clear guidance and suggestions, making it clear they were ready to fully commit to reskilling, apart from basic daily needs.

The post quickly gained attention, with users offering detailed suggestions focused on skill upgrades, job preparation, and networking strategies.

One user recommended moving towards automation tools and data-related roles, highlighting the importance of staying aligned with industry changes. The user suggested, “Maybe you can upskill yourself in some advance testing tecniques and tool like Automation, Selenium etc.. I'm not sure as I'm not from testing bg. Become a sql data analyst or learn any ETL tool. Enroll yourself in those courses where they give you placement assistance.”

I have been asked to Resign today. Need your advice. by u/JuJ0JuJoJuJoJuJoJuJ in IndianWorkplace

Another user focused on immediate job search preparation, stressing the importance of updating professional profiles and using available resources before losing access.

“Do these things as fast as you can: Update your resume (ensure its ATS format tealhq helped me with this plus its free) while you still have access , if you choose to update it later you might forget something or the other like business impact your projects created etc. , but still having access means you can access your projects and put accurate values / technologies on the resume. Update your LinkedIn and Naukri profile. While you can ask the colleagues around you to endorse your skills and give you recommendations on LinkedIn. Any certificates, awards, recommendation emails, that are lying around in your company email , download them now. Connect , connect and connect and shamelessly ask around for referrals.... Networking >>> Mindlessly applying,” the user wrote.

A third user pointed towards the importance of upgrading technical skills, especially in programming and AI-related fields, “Bro you should have upskilled long ago. QA professionals have a hard time justifying their jobs, there is only so much automation you can do in testing. Your compensation is too low for a 36 year old. Do some AI courses. You can easily learn python, most AI/ML projects use it.”

Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content shared on social media. Moneycontrol has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.