I woke up today to an X post by Amjad Masad, the CEO of Replit, a company that sells “AI as a programming service”.
I no longer think you should learn to code.
The post got traction, with well over 4.5M views. In the follow-up post, Amjad dismissed the community’s reaction as “cope”.
This made me reflect on the future of coding. I have a 3-year-old daughter, and I wonder what the world will look like when she grows up. Will coding still be a valuable skill?
The rise of AI and so-called vibe coding has sparked debate. Some argue coding is becoming obsolete; others believe it’s simply evolving. What’s clear is that AI is changing how we code.
Should they learn to code or rely on AI to do the work for them? How should I teach my daughter to approach coding? Should I even teach her to code at all?
I don’t have all the answers, but I do have some thoughts.
Where I come from
To explain my perspective, I should share some background. I’m a web developer and software engineer with over 15 years of experience (mostly in interpreted languages, with occasional ventures into compiled ones). I studied Computer Science and hold a Master’s degree in Information Control Systems.
Back in school, we played with languages like Basic and Logo. We wrote code on paper and then typed it into a computer — like it was the ’60s, but it was actually the early 2000s.
We also had to perform basic arithmetic in binary. I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember it was fun.
I’m not ancient, but I do recall using images to create rounded corners in CSS. Nice to meet you!
Learning to code in 2025
So how do students learn to code nowadays? Beats me! And with AI in the mix, it’s even trickier. Should you watch online courses? Read books? Just download a code editor and start coding? Or should you rely on AI to do the work for you?
There are endless options now — more languages, more frameworks, more tools, and more resources than ever before.
This is tiring. It’s a blissful time to be a programmer, but it’s also a nightmare. I think the newer generations of programmers have it harder than we did.
But I do know this: the fundamentals of coding haven’t changed. Computers have evolved, but the basics remain the same. What I learned in school still holds true. And if you’re just starting out, the basics are where you should begin.
A solid foundation is crucial if you want to understand what you’re doing. Ultimately, it comes down to how much control you want over your code and, by extension, your career.
But should you ignore AI? Absolutely not. I use AI as a coding assistant every day. Has it made me a better programmer? Probably not.
Merchants of AI
AI is the new shiny toy everyone wants to play with. And to be honest, it’s impressive. The problem with AI is that with every year, it gets better and better. Wait what? How’s that a problem? Well, with every new year you lose control.
The more you rely on AI, the less you understand what you’re doing. The less you understand, the more AI vendors can control you. And the more control they have, the more they can charge you. It’s a vicious cycle.
This shift was inevitable. Humanity must adapt to this new reality. AI isn’t going away, and we need to learn how to use it to our advantage.
The large language models (LLMs) created by tech giants have absorbed decades of knowledge — our knowledge. They’ve been trained on our work.
Now they’re selling it back to us and telling us we only need to learn English to code. This is a lie. As a new programmer, I don’t want you to fall for it. There’s no corner-cutting. Get your shit together and learn to code.
Will I continue using AI?
Yes, it’s addictive, and it makes me more productive. If I had to stop using it tomorrow, I’d feel withdrawal symptops. Coding with AI feels incredible.
But if AI vanished tomorrow due to, say, regulations, I’d just nod and go back to my old ways. I’d be less productive, yes. And what about you?
If you know how to code, you can build anything. If you only know how to vibe code, you’re gambling with your future.
Because if you can vibe code… so can everyone else.
And if everyone can do it, what makes you think Devin won’t replace you?