"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
— Thomas A. Edison
Everyone wants the promise of AI — accelerated productivity, creativity at scale, and unprecedented levels of cheap, effective knowledge labor. But opportunity doesn't arrive as a finished product. It shows up wearing overalls and looking like work. And history teaches us that most people will miss it.
At Sonatype, we've experienced this firsthand. Our mission is to help enterprises safely and effectively use open source within AI-powered software development lifecycles. To do that, we've had to become early adopters ourselves — integrating AI into the way we build, test, secure, and operate, and into our products themselves.
AI is exciting. But like every meaningful technological shift before it, it also demands hard work.
The Hard Work Behind the Hype
Much of today's AI discourse implies that work itself is disappearing — that productivity will simply happen, that professional engineers will be replaced by vibe coding, that AI is coming for everyone's job.
These reactions are understandable. But they're also incomplete.
AI can absolutely make work faster and smarter. But mastering it requires unlearning old workflows, building new habits, and accepting that early attempts may feel slow or awkward. The productivity gains don't come from the tool alone — they come from redefining how you work.
And yes, AI will drive creative destruction. Businesses will be reshaped. Some roles will evolve or disappear. I can't predict the future, but I do know this: the people who lean in, learn deeply, and reshape their craft will be the ones doing the disrupting.
The Broader Adoption Gap
What's striking is how many professionals, especially outside software engineering, still haven't meaningfully engaged with AI.
I hear comments like:
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"AI can't really do MY job."
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"I tried it; it didn't help."
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"I see the power, but I don't like what it represents."
These reactions are human, but they are also risky. Technological revolutions don't wait for comfort, and AI is not incremental. It's the new foundation. The speed and unpredictability of this shift mean that organizational and individual mastery are becoming defining capabilities.
A Reality No One Can Ignore
AI impacts every profession, whether people embrace it or not. I often tell my kids: you don't have to believe in gravity for it to affect you. AI is the same.
Security illustrates this clearly.
Adversaries have access to the same AI as defenders, without the ethical, legal, or compliance constraints that slow enterprises down. They innovate instantly. They attack ruthlessly.
Yet many organizations remain in wait-and-see mode, or worse, enact restrictive AI policies that discourage usage. That posture isn't protective. It's dangerous. You can't operationalize, monetize, or defend against a technology you don't understand.
AI is not a spectator sport.
If adversaries, competitors, and peers are learning at full speed while you stand still, both security and capability gaps widen rapidly.
The Opportunity Most People Are Missing
AI doesn't just threaten jobs. It creates openings for leadership.
Every employer is looking for the professional who can demonstrate how they deliver work using a modern, AI-enabled toolkit. Someone who can perform their craft faster, better, and at lower cost.
Every company is evaluating vendors through the same lens. If a partner can deliver in half the time with higher quality, that becomes the new expectation. Contracts and vendor relationships that once seemed stable are suddenly up for grabs.
This is the opportunity hiding in plain sight.
Individuals can leapfrog their peers.
Businesses can leapfrog their competitors.
Entire industries can be reshaped by early adopters who put in the work.
Most people are waiting.
A few are building muscle memory.
History tells us which group wins.
A Call to Action: Organizations Must Enable, Individuals Must Commit
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that AI is widening the gap between top performers and everyone else. That outcome isn't inevitable, but it will happen unless organizations and individuals act intentionally. This pattern shouldn't surprise us — the same people emerging as top performers with AI are typically the same ones who outworked their peers long before AI entered the picture.
What's also becoming clear is that AI is no longer just a tool. It is increasingly agentic. Leaders and managers must recognize that their job will involve managing AI agents alongside human workers, designing systems where responsibility, judgment, and accountability are shared across both.
What organizations must do:
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Treat AI readiness as a strategic priority.
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Provide structured, role-based training.
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Create space for experimentation and iteration.
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Build a culture of sharing and continuous improvement.
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Model effective AI usage from the top.
What individuals must do:
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Show initiative. Don't wait for permission.
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Experiment daily and build muscle memory.
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Learn how to prompt, validate, and iterate.
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Use AI to stretch your capabilities, not just automate busywork.
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Treat mastery as part of your professional identity.
Top performers don't wait for mandates. They invest in themselves, inside and outside formal work hours.
Organizations that thrive will elevate their entire workforce, not just their naturals and early adopters. Individuals who thrive will be those who lean in, consistently and early.
Lean In. Do the Work. Don't Miss the Opportunity.
Edison was right. Opportunity still looks like work, even when it's powered by AI.
If you want to stay relevant, creative, and valuable in the next era, don't wait for AI to replace tasks. Use it to amplify your impact. Learn its strengths, its limits, and its quirks.
Because the real revolution isn't AI itself.
It's what humans become when they choose to work with it.
Written by Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell has more than 25 years of experience as a developer, architect, team-builder and leader across a variety of high-growth roles in technology, data, product, and mergers and acquisitions, including stints at eVestment a Nasdaq Company, Equifax, Grant Thornton and Delta Air Lines. Mitchell ...
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