Despite advances in technology, our research suggests that developer morale is slipping. Only 25% of surveyed developers report being happy in their current role. Their top needs?

• #1: Autonomy and trust to manage their own tasks
• #2: Meaningful problem-solving
• #3: Competitive compensation

Developers also made it clear that they want to use the tools they love (and who wouldn’t?). Specifically, they prize robust APIs over flashy features. APIs enable automation, integration, and flexibility, all of which can enhance productivity and autonomy.

TL;DR for leaders

Improving developer experience requires more than new tools. Developers want as much autonomy as possible over what kinds of projects they work on, the tools and languages they use, and when/where they work. They want to feel that their employer trusts them to get the job done using their tried-and-trues, while also offering opportunities to pick up new skills and experiment with new technologies.

Give your developers meaningful problems to solve and compensate them like the hardworking creative professionals they are. When it comes to AI, support their use of tools that will enhance, not replace, meaningful work by automating the repetitive and tedious aspects of their jobs.