Microsoft's institutional position on AI and engineers rests on a single, repeatedly stated claim: AI augments rather than replaces, and the engineers who adapt will be more productive, not unemployed. Brad Smith's statement that AI won't replace engineers is the clearest articulation of this position, and it has been the company's consistent public line through multiple rounds of workforce reductions. The problem is the company's own employment data, filed with state labor agencies, which shows in the March 2026 round. The institutional reassurance and…