In the age of AI, 80% of what we do professionally is now worth $20 an hour, while 20% is worth $8,000 an hour.

This startling reality hit me over dinner last weekend with a mate who’s been copywriting for two decades. He looked almost guilty as he confessed how an AI tool I’d recommended had transformed his work. “It feels like cheating,” he said. “What used to take me days now takes hours.”

But here’s what he’d missed—and what most of us are missing about AI’s true impact on our work.

The Copywriter’s Revelation

My friend is exceptional at his craft. He’s spent years mastering customer research, distilling complex ideas into messages that resonate, finding the perfect angle for the right audience. When I introduced him to an AI writing tool, I thought it would be a helpful assistant.

I underestimated its impact.

The tool didn’t just help—it revolutionised his workflow. Research that once took days now took hours. First drafts that required painstaking construction appeared in minutes. His guilt stemmed from how little time the work now required.

“But you’re missing the point,” I told him. “AI hasn’t replaced your process—it’s freed you from the mechanics of it.”

Here’s what actually happened: Previously, he might spend 20% of his time on strategy (choosing angles, identifying key research areas) and 80% on execution (writing, editing, formatting). Now those percentages have flipped. The AI handles the mechanical work, leaving him to focus on what truly matters—the strategic decisions that determine whether a campaign succeeds or fails.

The Software Development Revolution

The same transformation is sweeping through software development. I’ve been experimenting with Claude Code, Anthropic’s coding assistant that sits on your computer and builds applications through chat. Tell it to create a calculator, and it plans, designs, and builds it before your eyes. Magic.

Curious about the industry impact, I’ve been lurking in developer forums on Reddit. The responses range from “this is revolutionary” to “every line needs checking,” but the experienced developers—those with 10, 20, 30 years under their belts—see opportunity rather than threat.

Why? Because they recognise the same pattern my copywriter friend experienced.

Before AI, senior developers spent maybe 20% of their time on architecture and system design, and 80% deep in code—debugging, patching, maintaining. They worked on limited resources, with little luxury for strategic planning. Now AI handles the routine coding, freeing them to focus on what they always wished they had more time for: designing elegant systems, planning robust architectures, thinking strategically about technology choices.

The Value Shift That Changes Everything

This brings us to the harsh mathematics of the new 80/20 rule. It’s not just about time allocation—it’s about value creation.

Consider a senior developer billing $200 an hour. Previously:

  • 80% of their time (coding, debugging): Increasingly automatable, soon worth maybe $20/hour
  • 20% of their time (architecture, strategy): Irreplaceable human insight, effectively worth $8,000/hour

The same applies to my copywriter friend:

  • Writing and editing (80%): AI can do this for pennies
  • Understanding the market, choosing the angle, crafting strategy (20%): This is where fortunes are made or lost

The brutal truth? Most of what we’ve traditionally been paid for is becoming commodity work. The small slice of strategic thinking we squeezed in around the edges? That’s now the whole game.

The Generation Gap Paradox

This shift favours those of us with grey hair—at first glance. We have years of experience to draw upon, patterns we recognise, mistakes we’ve learned from. We can focus on strategy because we’ve done the groundwork.

But here’s the twist that keeps me up at night: What about the next generation?

If AI handles 80% of the “doing” from day one, will young professionals develop the deep understanding we gained through years of hands-on work? Or will they leapfrog us entirely?

I’m betting on the latter. Here’s why:

A young professional starting today won’t waste 80% of their time on mechanical tasks. They’ll spend nearly all their time in the strategic realm. What took me 26 years to understand about digital marketing, they might grasp in five. They’ll develop strategic muscle from day one, uninhibited by the manual processes we consider fundamental.

It’s like learning to drive on an automatic versus a manual. Sure, manual drivers might understand the mechanics better, but automatic drivers often become more sophisticated navigators because they can focus on the journey, not the gears.

What This Means for Your Career

The implications are stark but clear:

If you’re experienced: Your advantage lies in pattern recognition and strategic thinking. Lean into it. Use AI to handle execution while you focus on the decisions that matter. Your experience is more valuable than ever—if you position it correctly.

If you’re starting out: Don’t try to compete on execution—AI will beat you. Instead, develop strategic thinking from day one. Learn to ask better questions, spot patterns, understand systems. Use AI as your execution partner while you build judgment.

For everyone: The comfortable middle ground is disappearing. You’re either managing AI tools, or they’re managing you. The choice is yours.

The Path Forward

The 80/20 rule hasn’t disappeared—it’s transformed. In a world where AI handles the 80%, success belongs to those who master the 20%. This isn’t about AI replacing us; it’s about using AI to amplify our uniquely human strengths: strategy, creativity, and wisdom born from experience.

My copywriter friend no longer feels guilty about how fast he works. He’s realised he’s not charging for time spent typing—he’s charging for knowing exactly what to type. That knowledge, that strategic insight, that’s what’s worth $8,000 an hour.

The question isn’t whether you’ll adapt to this new reality. The question is whether you’ll recognise it in time to thrive in it.

Because in the age of AI, it’s not about working harder on the 80%. It’s about getting brilliant at the 20%.

What’s your take on the 80/20 shift in your industry? I’d love to hear how AI is changing the value equation in your field.