Opus 5.5 feels like the beginning of the end, and people still don't stop coping

The release of Opus 5.5 highlights the rapid advancement of AI capabilities, challenging the common belief that AI cannot replace human workers. Despite this, many, particularly in communities like r/ExperiencedDevs, continue to downplay AI's threat to jobs, viewing it as inferior in coding. This denial persists even as a plausible path emerges where companies may require significantly fewer employees, prompting calls for policymakers to address employment preservation, entry-level career protection, and the distribution of automation gains.

This post uniquely highlights the contrast between Opus 5.5's advanced capabilities and the denial within developer communities, unlike typical reports focusing solely on technical specs.