Everything Changes, and Nothing Changes

6 hours ago

The software engineering industry is undergoing a rapid transformation from craftsmanship to mass production, with AI increasingly writing code.
Many engineers are grappling with identity shifts as their roles evolve from coding artists to orchestrators of AI-generated code.
Leading AI labs and startups are already adopting practices where engineers no longer write code themselves, signaling a broader industry shift.
Fundamentals of software engineering, such as focusing on outcomes and team productivity, remain relevant even as tools change.
Good engineering now requires architectural intuition and taste, bypassing the need for traditional code-level craftsmanship.
AI models are improving at writing clean code but still struggle with understanding complex social and technical constraints.
The future of software engineering may see AI automating symbolic tasks, including engineering principles and taste.
The industry is experiencing both excitement and grief as it navigates the creative destruction brought by AI advancements.
The fast feedback loops and orchestration of concurrent AI agents offer new joys and challenges in software development.

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