There is an interesting disconnect between the ability of models to...
François Chollet@fchollet
101 views
Jul 19, 2026
~1 min read
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There is an interesting disconnect between the ability of models to successfully execute precise instructions (improving incredibly fast) and their ability to make sound decisions when faced with something not covered by the instructions (stagnating for a while).
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Because coding agents are best understood as very fast, relatively cheap executors with weak (or absent) creative decision-making, they act as a force magnifier for competent engineers. They're not replacing engineers, they're making engineers more valuable.
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Since there will be many replies about the value of junior engineers dropping to zero: if you have ever been on teams with a mix of strong senior engineers and junior engineers, you should know their value was already zero or negative in the mix -- the point is that they gain competence over time and eventually become senior themselves.
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So AI can't devalue them. Their value was not in their output, but in the fact they learned the ropes over time. The only way AI could devalue them is if it prevented them from gaining competence over time... oh wait
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Oh no. Oh no...
