Nearly half of the 5,463 respondents to the 2026 State of Devs survey reported experiencing job insecurity and insufficient wages. A quarter had been laid off at some point in their career, and nearly 1 in 10 had been laid off within the last 9 months. Looking ahead, over a quarter of developers anticipate needing to change careers within the next five years due to reasons beyond their control, highlighting growing instability in the tech industry.
The survey also revealed significant mental health challenges. Around two-thirds of respondents felt less motivated and more cynical about their work recently, while about half struggled with focus, procrastinated more, felt unusually drained, and reported a reduced sense of accomplishment and effectiveness at work. These symptoms align with burnout, which 62% of developers said they had experienced at some point in their career — consistent with the previous year's findings.
Views on artificial intelligence were deeply divided, with 49% of respondents expressing positive feelings and 42% negative. Despite AI's prevalence, nearly half of the developers surveyed said AI tools had not had a positive impact on their mental state. Over 1,500 respondents elaborated on their AI outlook, citing concerns about safe usage, diminished job satisfaction, and unsustainable productivity expectations from management.