Auto-routing can be done (and has been done in some designers), but it never generates ideal routes. In low-speed trivial designs, not usually a big issue (ie.

Auto-routing can be done (and has been done in some designers), but it never generates ideal routes. In low-speed trivial designs, not usually a big issue (ie. if you can make it work on a breadboard, it might work well enough even on a horribly routed board). Auto-placement is really a problem though. Good PCB design is nearly 100% about placement before you even start routing, and requires a higher level understanding of the design to get right. The last thing you want on an even semi-non-trivial design is to have something start moving your components and traces around in a non-controlled way. Part of the problem is your "Pros" don't need/want or use either feature, and your amateurs don't understand how to solve un-obvious (and obvious!) issues that the auto-placer/router might introduce until it's too late and the board has been fab'ed and money wasted. Which means the folks making the design software don't really have a huge interest in making these features at all, or even improving them if they exist.