Design jobs could be among the first casualties of AI (artificial intelligence) as companies may no longer hire standalone designers going ahead, according to angel investor Gokul Rajaram.
“I am increasingly sure that 2026 signals the end of product design as a full-fledged stand-alone function within companies. If so, it will be the first role / function to be eliminated by AI on a go-forward basis,” Rajaram wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
Rajaram, who has invested in various tech companies, is best known for building Google’s advertising network AdSense and scaling it to over $1 billion in revenues. He currently serves as a board member at Pinterest and has invested in the design tool Figma, among others.
Currently a founding partner at Marathon Management Partners in San Francisco, he says startups are increasingly shifting towards a leaner model in which external consultants help establish a design system. Once this is in place, product managers or engineers can rely on AI-powered design tools to iterate and build prototypes, reducing the need for full-time designers.
Typically, a product designer oversees the entire lifecycle of a company’s product, from concept to prototype to market launch, including improvements in functionality, usability, and aesthetic appeal.
“Instead of hiring FT (full-time) designers, startups are hiring / will hire design consultants to create a design system that the founder likes (this takes a few weeks max). Once the design system is finalised, PM/Eng feeds it into their AI tool of choice to generate prototypes. The design system is refreshed annually by the same consultant,” he said.
Larger firms, he suggested, may follow a similar trajectory by gradually shrinking in-house design teams to merely 20% of their present size, through attrition rather than layoffs.
Rajaram advises designers to either run their own agencies offering services to companies, which can be a good source for recurring revenues, or acquire product management/engineering skills and become a ‘product builder’.
What did others say?
The debate has gathered pace, with Rajaram’s view drawing sharp pushback across the startup and product ecosystem. Several CEOs and internet personalities argue that while routine work may become automated, the broader discipline of design is far from obsolete.
“If you mean (a) pure product designer who only draws pixels, agree. You need to become a builder too. But more broadly, design won't just disappear, and the discipline and skillset will become more relevant than ever to separate those who don't care from the ones who do,” wrote Jordan Singer, founder and CEO of AI startup Mainframe Computer, which is building agentic software for modern computers.
Internet personality Lenny Rachitsky argued that the need for designers is unlikely to disappear and cautioned companies against outsourcing design functions altogether.
Some argued that before design roles get eliminated, several other functions are bound to be more severely impacted by AI.
“I see many other roles die before design does. Anyone who makes anything meaningful should never outsource design unless it’s very ephemeral, standalone (brand visual, campaign websites) or contained. There is even a path where there is just design and software architects (feel and function), and all the other roles disappear,” added Karri Saarinen, CEO and co-founder of Linear, a purpose-built tool for planning and building products. Previously, Saarinen worked as the principal designer and design systems lead at Airbnb, and created the founding design at Coinbase.
“I am increasingly sure that 2026 signals the end of product design as a full-fledged stand-alone function within companies. If so, it will be the first role / function to be eliminated by AI on a go-forward basis,” Rajaram wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
Rajaram, who has invested in various tech companies, is best known for building Google’s advertising network AdSense and scaling it to over $1 billion in revenues. He currently serves as a board member at Pinterest and has invested in the design tool Figma, among others.
Currently a founding partner at Marathon Management Partners in San Francisco, he says startups are increasingly shifting towards a leaner model in which external consultants help establish a design system. Once this is in place, product managers or engineers can rely on AI-powered design tools to iterate and build prototypes, reducing the need for full-time designers.
Typically, a product designer oversees the entire lifecycle of a company’s product, from concept to prototype to market launch, including improvements in functionality, usability, and aesthetic appeal.
“Instead of hiring FT (full-time) designers, startups are hiring / will hire design consultants to create a design system that the founder likes (this takes a few weeks max). Once the design system is finalised, PM/Eng feeds it into their AI tool of choice to generate prototypes. The design system is refreshed annually by the same consultant,” he said.
Larger firms, he suggested, may follow a similar trajectory by gradually shrinking in-house design teams to merely 20% of their present size, through attrition rather than layoffs.
Rajaram advises designers to either run their own agencies offering services to companies, which can be a good source for recurring revenues, or acquire product management/engineering skills and become a ‘product builder’.
What did others say?
The debate has gathered pace, with Rajaram’s view drawing sharp pushback across the startup and product ecosystem. Several CEOs and internet personalities argue that while routine work may become automated, the broader discipline of design is far from obsolete.
“If you mean (a) pure product designer who only draws pixels, agree. You need to become a builder too. But more broadly, design won't just disappear, and the discipline and skillset will become more relevant than ever to separate those who don't care from the ones who do,” wrote Jordan Singer, founder and CEO of AI startup Mainframe Computer, which is building agentic software for modern computers.
Internet personality Lenny Rachitsky argued that the need for designers is unlikely to disappear and cautioned companies against outsourcing design functions altogether.
Some argued that before design roles get eliminated, several other functions are bound to be more severely impacted by AI.
“I see many other roles die before design does. Anyone who makes anything meaningful should never outsource design unless it’s very ephemeral, standalone (brand visual, campaign websites) or contained. There is even a path where there is just design and software architects (feel and function), and all the other roles disappear,” added Karri Saarinen, CEO and co-founder of Linear, a purpose-built tool for planning and building products. Previously, Saarinen worked as the principal designer and design systems lead at Airbnb, and created the founding design at Coinbase.
