Lenny Rachitsky · 2 min read · Product Teams
How tech workers actually feel about AI in 2026 | Annual AI sentiment survey (Noam Segal)
Read the original on lennysnewsletter.com →
An in-depth discussion of Noam Segal's Tech Worker Sentiment Survey reveals AI's impact on tech workers—splitting the workforce into thriving and shaken camps. The survey identifies four emotional archetypes, a sharp rise in burnout, and highlights managers as the key lever for well-being, with concrete steps for employees and leaders right now.
Key Takeaways
- AI is splitting the tech workforce into halves—one group thriving, the other shaken.
- Four emotional archetypes define current sentiment: Energized, Conflicted, Disoriented, and Resentful.
- Burnout jumped 11 points year over year, signaling urgent well-being concerns.
- Managers are the biggest lever for employee well-being and retention.
- The top tech fear isn’t job loss to AI, and there are concrete, actionable steps for both employees and leaders.
Excerpt
Noam Segal is a longtime research leader across Airbnb, Meta, Twitter, Zapier, Intercom, and Figma, a certified coach, AI builder, and my community research lead. Together, we run the annual Tech Worker Sentiment Survey, now in its second year and one of the largest of its kind: a quantitative study of how people in tech actually feel about their jobs, AI, burnout, and the future of their careers. This year’s survey captured responses from thousands of workers across product, engineering, design, research, marketing, data, and sales, and the results are striking. Listen on YouTube , Spotify , and Apple Podcasts…