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Quitting programming as a career right now because of LLMs would be like quitting carpentry as a career thanks to the invention of the table saw.

It’s hard for me to tell whether its the invention of the table saw or the invention of the programmatic and automated jigsaw production line.

So are we automating away the boring stuff (sawing) or all the production stuff (cutting all the pieces to size)? In which case are we left with a) designing the product & automation process (fun), loading and unloading the machine (less fun) and assembling the parts (for non technical people to do)

For me it feels like we’re at the point where both future are possible. However it feels as though one is desirable for craftspeople and the other is desirable for industrialists. And we sort of know who usually wins that battle.

An interesting thing about that is usually industrialists win because only they have the capital to build the factories Thanks in part to open weights model, building an "AI coding factory" is affordable to individuals It's rare to see a disruptive technology like this so widely available

For me It’s less about tool availability than it is deciding whether you want to start your own artisanal furniture business (and eschew modern tools), join the ikea furniture production team (and lean into production line practices) or start a local kitchen company using ikea like processes.