Travel agents collapsed over a decade due to internet disruption; software engineering faces a much quicker decline due to rapid LLM adoption. US travel agents dropped from 124,000 in 2000 to 65,000 by 2012. Commission cuts harmed their transition, mirroring software roles affected by a decrease in VC funding. While some niches grew, generalist agents failed to adapt, similar to engineers ignoring emerging technologies. The path to survival now involves embracing broader skill sets and domain knowledge as rapid changes accelerate. Developers, unlike travel agents, have less time to adjust.
