The tech world is buzzing with a provocative claim: “DevOps is dying.” Mischa van den Burg’s recent video, which has sparked widespread debate, doesn’t just sound the alarm—it offers a nuanced perspective on what’s really happening beneath the surface of the DevOps job market. Far from predicting the extinction of DevOps principles, van den Burg argues that the role and its label are evolving, giving rise to new opportunities for engineers willing to adapt.
The DevOps Boom—and Its Sudden Slowdown
Just a few years ago, DevOps was the golden ticket in tech. Companies scrambled to hire DevOps engineers, offering six-figure salaries and remote flexibility. The role promised a blend of development and operations, empowering engineers to automate pipelines, manage infrastructure as code, and keep production humming. But as van den Burg points out, the landscape has shifted dramatically in 2025:
DevOps job postings are down 6%.
Salaries for DevOps roles have dropped by 6%.
Remote DevOps opportunities have fallen by over 5%.
Meanwhile, engineering job postings overall are climbing. Something fundamental is changing in how organizations build and operate software.
Why the DevOps Role Is Fading
The core issue isn’t a decline in the value of DevOps skills—it’s the ambiguity of the “DevOps engineer” title. For years, companies struggled to define what a DevOps engineer actually does. Some wanted infrastructure experts, others prioritized CI/CD, and many expected a jack-of-all-trades who could fight production fires at 2 a.m. This lack of clarity led to inconsistent hiring, mismatched expectations, and, ultimately, a bubble that was bound to pop.
Now, the market is correcting. The essential skills that once defined DevOps are being absorbed into more specialized and clearly defined roles:
Platform Engineers are taking ownership of Kubernetes, infrastructure automation, and developer platforms.
Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) are focusing on reliability, monitoring, and incident response.
Cloud Engineers are managing cloud-native deployments and cost optimization.
The DevOps label is fading, but the underlying expertise is more in demand than ever—just under new titles and with sharper focus.
The Real Opportunity: Becoming a “Complete Engineer”
Van den Burg’s central thesis is this: The end of the DevOps job title is actually the best thing to happen to the field. The market is moving away from broad, ill-defined roles toward engineers who can:
Automate workflows
Write clean infrastructure as code
Deploy securely
Monitor systems effectively
Communicate decisions with clarity
If you can do these things, you’re not just a DevOps engineer—you’re a “complete engineer.” This new breed of professional is hands-on, production-ready, and aligned with what modern companies actually need.
What’s Driving This Shift?
Several trends are accelerating the transformation:
1. Specialization and Clarity
Organizations want engineers with deep expertise in specific areas—platform engineering, SRE, cloud architecture—rather than generalists with vague responsibilities.
2. Rise of Platform Engineering
Platform engineers are building internal developer platforms (IDPs) that standardize and automate infrastructure, CI/CD, and observability. This shift allows product teams to focus on shipping features, while platform teams handle the complexity of cloud-native operations.
3. Cloud-Native and Kubernetes
Kubernetes and cloud-native tools have become the backbone of modern infrastructure. Engineers who can design, operate, and optimize these environments are in high demand, but under more precise job titles.
4. Automation and AI
The relentless push for automation—driven by both necessity and the rise of AI—means organizations want engineers who can build robust, self-healing systems, not just patch things together.
5. Market Maturity
As the tech market matures, companies are less interested in trendy titles and more focused on proven skills and outcomes. This is reflected in hiring patterns, salary trends, and the growing popularity of specialized engineering communities.
What Should Engineers Do Now?
1. Embrace Specialization
If you’re still chasing generic DevOps roles, it’s time to pivot. Focus on building production-grade skills in areas like Kubernetes, infrastructure as code, security automation, or platform engineering.
2. Build Real-World Projects
Employers want proof of hands-on ability. Contribute to open source, build homelabs, or complete end-to-end projects that showcase your expertise.
3. Join the Right Communities
Communities like KubeCraft, founded by van den Burg, offer mentorship, real-world labs, and direct access to engineers at top companies. These networks are invaluable for learning, referrals, and career growth.
4. Stay Agile and Keep Learning
The tech landscape is evolving fast. Invest in continuous learning—certifications, new tools, and emerging best practices—to stay ahead of the curve.
Is DevOps Really “Dying”?
The provocative claim that “DevOps is dying” is less about the demise of the discipline and more about the evolution of the job market. The principles of DevOps—collaboration, automation, continuous delivery—are more relevant than ever. What’s changing is how these principles are implemented and who is responsible for them.
The DevOps engineer title may be fading, but the demand for engineers with DevOps skills is not. The future belongs to those who can adapt, specialize, and deliver real value in production environments.
Conclusion: The End of DevOps Is Just the Beginning
DevOps, as a job title, may be on the way out. But for engineers willing to evolve, this is a moment of unprecedented opportunity. The skills that powered the DevOps revolution are now the foundation for a new generation of engineering roles—platform, SRE, cloud, and beyond.
Those who understand the shift and invest in building the right expertise will be ten steps ahead of the competition. The DevOps bubble may have popped, but a new era of complete engineers is just beginning.
Adapt, specialize, and keep building. The future of engineering is brighter—and more exciting—than ever.
