content: If you're replacing programmers entirely, you're dealing with strong AI for sure.     But... the big thing is, programmers have already been replaced.  From compilers to high level languages to much better ways of turning requirements into code, a single programmer is already vastly more powerful than before.  This means that less are hired to do a task, but it conversely means that more complex tasks are in reach, etc.  Programming is a field where automation just means more stuff happens faster, and that doesn't seem likely to change.  What could change is how much skill it takes to program, and how much goes into systems designs instead of the programming part itself.  What a programmer did in the 70s is so silly to today's ears, and that's essentially because several programmers had their jobs automated away.  The difference is, we've just uncovered even more thirst for software.  Something like "wheat" won't scale up in demand the same way.