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This compelling narrative follows a veteran software engineer's journey from a Romanian orphanage to the height of the global tech industry. Through the lens of a thirty-year career, the author explores the tension between 'actual intelligence'—the deep, nuanced wisdom of manual coding—and the rise of generative AI. As the investor class pushes for rapid automation and 'cheap tokens,' the story serves as a defiant manifesto for human agency and technical craftsmanship. It investigates the ethical risks of 'AI slop' and the psychological toll of corporate-driven technology, offering a profound reflection on the power of saying no to automation. This is a must-read for anyone concerned with the soul of engineering in an increasingly automated world. Comparable works include The Soul of a New Machine