The rise of AI is beginning to reshape how programmers work, but a new concern is emerging- are people starting to forget how to code?
A recent post on X (formerly Twitter) by Abacus AI CEO Bindu Reddy has sparked debate online after she described the trend as “alarming”.
According to Reddy, her team is increasingly coming across programmers in interviews who have “totally lost touch with coding”.
Reddy says the shift appears to be linked to growing reliance on AI tools. While such tools can speed up work and improve productivity, they may also reduce the need for developers to write code from scratch.
Over time, this could lead to weaker fundamentals among those entering or moving within the industry.
Concerns rise over coding skills:
The CEO also raised a bigger concern about the long-term impact. If AI systems were to fail or produce errors, she questioned who would be able to step in and fix the problem if core coding skills continue to decline.
“Who is going to fix it if the AI breaks everything?” she wrote.
The post has triggered discussion among tech professionals, with some agreeing that overdependence on AI could erode essential skills.
Others argue that tools have always changed how developers work, and that adapting to new technologies is part of the industry’s evolution.
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Check out the post here:
Here’s how people reacted to the post:
X users offered a range of reactions to the post. Several said they found the concern relatable, sharing that candidates often rely heavily on AI during coding tasks.
Others, however, downplayed the worry, saying practical problem-solving still matters more than writing code from memory.
One of the users commented, “This is a real concern. AI tools should raise the floor, not replace the foundation.”
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A second user commented, “If AI breaks everything, the people who understand fundamentals will fix it.”
A third user commented, “You remember how to light fire by rubbing stones?”
A fourth user commented, “This was my biggest fear when I first started to see ‘vibe coding’”
“AI taking out the junior-level developers is going to be a problem on many levels,” another user commented.