Code is a means, not an end

I do not reduce the developer’s job to “churning out code”.

Code is a means, not an end

On the other hand, if a developer limits themselves to writing code, and only code, then yes, they will clearly have less work, or none at all.

It is a bit like a mechanic who thought their job was repairing Renault 4s. The day the Renault 4 disappears, the job disappears with it. A good mechanic must first of all understand mechanics, not just one model of car.

For me, the subject is not whether AI will write code instead of developers. It already does. The real question is rather: what does the developer bring beyond the code?

Understanding the problem. Challenging the need. Designing a solution. Making architecture choices. Taking security, performance and business constraints into account. Verifying that what is produced actually works, and answers the right problem. None of that is written in the code; all of it comes before or after.

That is probably where the difference will be played out between those whose job will actually disappear and those whose job will be profoundly transformed.

The former confused the means with the end. The latter had understood it before AI, which simply makes the means cheaper for them

This transformation will not happen on its own. It is up to companies to support it, effectively and quickly: by giving developers the time and the framework to go where the value is moving, rather than by counting the lines they no longer write.