> Why is it that so many people are completely obsessed with replacing all developers and any other white-collar job?
For the same reason people are obsessed with replacing all blue-collar jobs. Every cent that a company doesn't have to spend on its employees is another cent that can enrich the company's owners.
I have no problem with replacing jobs with automation. The question to ask is the investment justified by the efficiency gains?
I’m skeptical that this is a good use of resources or energy consumption.
The general view in my bubble was that blue collar jobs are seen as dumb, physically demanding and dangerous, so we kind of replacing them for their own good, so that they can do something intellectual (aka learn coding). Whereas intellectual labour is kind of what humans exist for, so making intellectual work redundant is truly the end of the world.
Maybe it's my post-communist background though and not relevant for the rest of the world