If you’re short on time and want our answer to the question in the title, here it is:
Yes.
We believe Java will survive AI. And not only that, we expect it to remain integral for as long as we’re predicting anything work-related.
And with it, the need for Java developers.
Still, in an age where some heads of major tech companies are making news by suggesting kids study subjects other than coding, AI executives state that 90% of all coding will soon be done by AI, and Python dominates the AI field, what does tomorrow’s role look like for Java?
In today’s PTP Report, we share our take, celebrating the language’s 30th birthday, considering what it continues to do well, looking at how it handles AI, and profiling the state of Java developer jobs in the USA.
Whether you’re a Java developer already, are considering becoming one, or currently employ them or need to hire more, read on for a look at the programming language of choice for the backends of America’s largest companies.
From There to Here—the First 30 Years of Java
Write once run anywhere (WORA).
This was one of the big ideas of Sun Microsystem’s Java when it first burst on the scene in May 1995.
Originally conceived for interactive television use (and named “Oak” until they couldn’t get permission), Java, which was, yes, named for coffee, instead took off thanks to the explosion of the internet.
Suddenly, Java applets were everywhere, seizing on the power of the Java virtual machine (JVM), the WORA innovation that allows computers of various architectures to all run the same code. Like WORA promises, you could write it once, ensuring it would be highly portable, and avoid the system-unique compilation required by other languages like C and C++.
Built to also be familiar in syntax to languages like C++ and C but more forgiving, Java was still object-oriented, robust, and secure. In short, it was the right language at the right time.
And through original creator Sun Microsystems’s Java Development Kit (JDK), it rolled out swift improvements, like JavaBeans and the JDBC API for database connections.
In 2006, Sun made it open-source with OpenJDK, though when Oracle later bought Sun in 2010, Google found themselves in a lawsuit over their use of Java for Android.
But this didn’t stop Java from becoming the predominant programming language for Android applications.
The Java Archive (JAR) file format coupled with Apache Maven for managing dependencies further powered open-source development well before the arrival of Git.
And with popular frameworks like Spring (2002) and Apache Struts (2006) helping to structure projects of varying types in cohesive, consistent, and secure ways, it’s easy to see why Java rapidly became the language of choice for enterprise software, mobile applications, and cloud services alike.
Today other programming languages (such as Kotlin and Scala) also make use of the JVM to seize on the promises of WORA.
Over the years, Java has built and maintained a robust community, and despite its age, maintains a well-earned reputation for being stable, adaptable, scalable, and resilient.
Why Companies Continue to Need Java Developers Today
Azul, in their 2025 State of Java Survey & Report, found that 99% of companies surveyed use Java in their software or infrastructure.
And while this is maybe not surprising given that Azul is an Oracle rival for enterprise Java, Broadcom’s Spring Developer Advocate Dan Vega adds that Java still powers some 90% of Fortune 500 backend systems.
Consider its broad use across sectors:
- Financial Services: Long trusted for core trading, payment processing, and banking applications, Java’s strength in security and reliability in transactions has made it a go-to for the code for the handling of sensitive financial data. It’s also valued here for effective encryption libraries and cross-platform portability.
- Healthcare: Java is also a go-to in the medical field for similar reasons, for electronic health record systems, patient management, and its reliability in backends. Many healthcare platforms are built on Java, and this continues due to Java’s proven track record.
- eCommerce and Retail: While there’s wide variety here, many of the largest-scale online storefronts and supply chain systems use Java (like Amazon and eBay). Again, reliability in transactions is key, as is scalability to handle spikes in traffic.
- Technology and Cloud Services: Many of the world’s largest tech companies use Java in their tech stacks (including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta). Even newer cloud-native companies leverage Java for microservices (often via Spring Boot).
- Government and Other Sectors: Government IT systems, aerospace, manufacturing, and telecom are all sectors that also rely on heavy Java use, having been built out over its three decades and continuing to rely on it. Java’s backward compatibility makes it especially valuable for organizations in the public sector, or that face heavy regulatory requirements and need to maximize compatibility over time.
The draw has been obvious for decades: build once, work across platforms, regularly update, and scale, regardless of your initial size.
Where Java Shows Its Age
Anything with so much industry penetration enjoys great longevity, even in a field that changes fast.
As Oracle’s senior vice president of the Java Platform, Georges Saab, told InfoWorld’s Paul Krill:
“Java has a long history of perseverance through changes in technology trends and we see no sign of that abating.”
Paul Jansen, CEO of TIOBE, agreed that: “Java is the ‘here to stay’ language for enterprise applications, that is for certain.”
But he also drew a distinction, adding: “It is not the go-to language anymore for smaller applications. Its platform independence is still a strong feature, but it is verbose if compared to other languages and its performance could also be better.”
Any 30-year-old language will have detractors, and complaints about Java today include:
- Speed: There is no doubt Java blows Python away here. But one of its biggest strengths, portability, also makes it slower than lower-level alternatives, which can be optimized for the system in question. This means C, of course, and C++, but also newer languages like Go and Rust, which are system native.
- Ease of Use: There’s little beating Python in this category, and Java, which was made to be like C and C++, is simply a more complex language to learn. JavaScript was also devised to be more concise and easier to use (though anyone who’s visited callback hell may disagree). Add in Java’s penchant for jargon and its package system, and Java development can sometimes feel like its own bubble at times. (Another reason experienced developers are valued—see below.)
- Error Handling: Unique with its use of checked exceptions, Java requires more explicit handling than is typical for exceptions. This can lead to bloated code that is harder to read (and sometimes results in pointless catching), though this is not a new complaint.
- Oracle Pricing and Policies: Oracle has unquestionably worked to keep Java relevant, including improving its interaction with AI. But a 2019 decision to charge for a previously free version (Java SE) caused a rupture in the community that fired criticisms.
2025 Salaries and Java Openings in the USA
Given the widespread level of adoption, it’s no surprise Java developers are still actively sought out, and that it remains a highly desired skill in 2025.
Among Jobscan’s stats for the most in-demand tech hard skills, Java is second only to Python among coding languages, and fifth for hard skills overall (tied with analytics).
A Devjobscanner report from late 2024 categorizing job listings by language (including only those with the language explicitly referenced in title) finds Java third by volume, with around 375,000+ jobs, where it has been holding generally steady.
Indeed’s average base salary comes in at $91K, and the range on Glassdoor runs from $89–147K ($114 median). Entry level salaries typically land in the $80–110K range, with mid-range between $105–140K, and senior from $140–170K and up.
Some of the most valuable skills for 2025 Java jobs in the USA include cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP), containerization (Kubernetes, Docker), DevOps CI/CD pipelines, APIs (REST, gRPC), data and AI integration, and cybersecurity. (We profile our own advice for developers below.)
Python and the AI Impact on Java Developer Jobs
Python, with its relative ease to learn and success with math applications, has become the initial language of choice for AI. With a rich infrastructure and popular AI libraries like TensorFlow and PyTorch, it is prized for its vast community and flexibility.
But for some Java developers, this has meant sitting out on the earliest implementations, demonstrations, and tutorials, until the scale of AI’s impact has become undeniable.
It’s hard enough to keep up with the pace of AI, so playing catchup, especially as a developer, can feel daunting.
[The PTP Report runs a bi-monthly AI roundup, and one is due at the end of this month. Check these out for assistance keeping up with breaking AI news.]
Still, with Java’s superior performance, breadth of adoption, and capacity for scaling, it is rapidly gaining ground in AI.
For companies, switching to Python would require extensive re-architecting, and while running applications with both can be functional in the short term, Java can arguably provide better performance from GPUs and security in the long term.
Already, half the companies surveyed by Azul are taking advantage of Java AI libraries like Java-ML, LangChain4J, and SpringAI.
Oracle is committed to keeping Java relevant with AI, though catching up with Python will be a steep climb. Python is showing its own performance gains, and as Omdia analyst Brad Shimmin told The New Stack, he believes Java’s gains won’t fully dislodge Python in AI anytime soon:
“Certainly, where security and performance are a must, as withing finance, for example, we would expect some Python code to be refactored as Java or Scala. But even there, AI practitioners would rather start with Python. With the rise of GenAI, I would expect to see other languages coming into play, particularly those used for full-stack development like Typescript.”
Nevertheless, Java is proving it can handle numerous AI use cases effectively already, such as document processing and knowledge extraction, customer service automation, and predictive analytics with enterprise data.
Into the Next 30 Years
Handling secure, reliable enterprise workloads may not be flashy, but it’s become Java’s bread and butter. And with widespread adoption, ongoing support from Oracle (JDK 25 is due out in September), and a thriving OpenJDK community, Java continues to expand in its backwards-compatible fashion, with ongoing efforts like:
- Project Loom: Aimed to simplify multi-threading, Loom adds highly lightweight virtual threads to improve handling a multitude of tasks all at once, as with microservices, and at scale.
- Project Valhalla: This ongoing experimental Oracle effort aims to adapt the language for current hardware and includes more efficient data structures. These containers cut down on memory needs and enable better abstraction.
- Project Panama: Potentially very relevant in the AI age, Panama aims to improve Java’s interaction with non-Java APIs, such as by enabling more efficient AI workloads.
Frameworks like Quarkus (geared for Kubernetes), Micronaut (for easier microservices), and the ongoing success of Spring Boot (for easier project startup and management), along with innovations like Generational ZGC (for fewer memory leaks and better garbage cleanup) serve to keep the Java train chugging on into its fourth decade.
PTP’s Advice for Java Developers in the USA
It probably goes without saying that Java developers with AI experience have immediate value.
But with nearshore and offshore solutions becoming increasingly popular, what else do we recommend for applicants seeking full time java developer jobs in the USA?
Version control, of course, is essential across the board, but also:
- Spring and Spring Boot frameworks are so highly used it’s almost essential experience to add to your repertoire. Experience with Spring AI or LangChain4J brings AI into this mix.
- Cloud services are important for all development in the professional space, and Java is a key player in this zone. AWS and GCP especially are Java cornerstones.
- Full-stack Java experience greatly increases your options. This can mean familiarity with HTML/CSS and JavaScript, but also database management, APIs, web security and accessibility, and deployment understanding.
- Kotlin, Scala, and Groovy also work with the JVM and add features that are missing from Java.
- DevOps CI/CD understanding is essential, but even better is experience with tools like Jenkins, Docker, and Gradle.
- Unit Testing with JUnit is something students in CS curriculums often dabble in, but real-world experience writing and implementing tests sets you up for a better understanding of things like oncoming test automation.
And whether you’re a Java developer now looking for opportunities, or a company needing to hire remote or onsite Java developers, consider PTP.
We may have started after Java, but with more than 27 years in the business, it doesn’t have much on us.
Conclusion
Java is 30 years old and though it’s no longer a spiking language in terms of new adoptions (and may not fire the passions of new developers), it remains a cornerstone of the American digital landscape.
It’s come a long way from its debut as a tool to facilitate interactive TV (which it didn’t), changing hands, becoming open-source and also paywalled, famed for its portability and later deemed a laggard by some for the same reason.
But Java is still going strong, and Java developers remain an integral part of the workforce and will for some time.
We opened this with the question of AI’s impact on this enterprise workhorse.
And while there’s no doubt Python is the AI language of choice, Java is coming on strong in the field and we predict this trend will only intensify in the years to come.
References
Java at 30: How a language designed for a failed gadget became a global powerhouse, ZDNet
JDK 25: The new features in Java 25, and Java turns 30, and there’s no stopping it now, InfoWorld
2025 Is the Last Year of Python Dominance in AI: Java Comin’, The New Stack
AI for Java Developers, Microsoft for Java Developers
Oracle’s controversial stewardship of Java: The good and the bad, MES Computing
Java at 30: Still brewing success or evaporating?, Developer
The State of the Job Search in 2025: AI, Cover Letter Comeback, and What Caused an 11X Increase in Interview Rate, Jobscan
What a Java Developer Should Learn Today to Be in Demand Tomorrow, EPAM
Java Valhalla Project, Baeldung
FAQs
Is Java still worth learning today with so much hype around Python?
As with any language, it depends on your needs, but Java remains the most popular language for backend development in the world. It’s also consistently ranked second to fourth among the hottest languages by sources like TIOBE, PYPL, the IEEE Spectrum, and GitHub even after all these years.
And with mass adoption in America’s largest companies, across sectors, Java developers remain consistently in high demand.
How is AI changing Java development in 2025?
Nearly three-quarters of Java developers already use AI to help generate, debug, refactor, or test their code. This means it’s as essential a tool for Java developers as it is for other languages in the professional marketplace today.
In addition, frameworks like SpringAI and LangChain4J make it easy to harness the sometimes-unpredictable nature of LLMs and control things like output format without needing to use Python.
Where can I find the latest Java developer roles across industries?
Java’s widespread adoption translates into a steady need for Java developers, and most of the top job boards have listings for developers of varying experience level and skillsets.
Among these, PTP brings more than 27 years pairing the best tech talent with great companies, onsite or off. If you’re a Java developer looking for your next opportunity, let us know!
