At present there are so many testing tools and options to optimize our QA process but in the heart of each of them lies the Testing. and a Bug-free Product! (Which is impossible even by theory.) In the race of packing more tools in the box just in the name of increasing efficiency/adding value, the actual testing is somewhat left behind which is contrary to the reasons the advanced tools were introduced in the first place. 

1. DevOps has made it possible to have frequent, fast, and streamlined product releases which have drastically reduced QA timelines.  Faster product releases require quicker QA cycles.  This in turn has increased focus on automation testing so that QA is completed as fast as possible. Somewhere in this, the quality of manual test cases is left behind.
2. Test case maintenance is a crucial pillar of the entire QA cycle. Once the test cases are designed, they have to be revisited and modified when there are changes in the application. Tracking the changed tests and its result is important as regression. This requires a more efficient and accountable process of collaboration when automation is involved. Lack of such a process may result in a mess of failed tests due to obsolete test data/screen and locators which will further require effort for investigation, analysis, re-runs, and reporting.

So new skills are not as important as holding on to the actual essence of testing as long as they are apt for testing the product.

What do you say ?