Is Coding Still Worth It in the Age of AI?
- The rapid advancement of AI coding tools like Cursor is understandably causing anxiety among software developers.
- Cursor, an AI-native code editor, currently generates nearly 1 billion lines of production-grade code daily.
- Given that there are only around 25 million software developers worldwide, this raises concerns about potential job displacement.
The scale of AI Code Generation
Cursor, an AI-native code editor, currently generates nearly 1 billion lines of production-grade code daily. This equates to the work of approximately 1 million developers,assuming a strong engineer writes 1,000 lines of code per day.
Given that there are only around 25 million software developers worldwide, this raises concerns about potential job displacement.
Why learning to Code is Still Valuable
Despite the notable capabilities of AI coding tools, learning to code remains crucial. The demand for software is “elastic” – as software becomes cheaper and easier to create,demand increases disproportionately. Marc Andreesen’s 2011 essay, “Why software is Eating the World”, illustrates this point.
Software projects are never truly “finished” as user needs and expectations constantly evolve.
A historical Perspective on Software Development tools
AI-assisted coding is a natural progression in the evolution of software development. Past advancements - from punch cards to high-level languages – have consistently increased both the number of software engineers and their individual productivity.
AI is simply the latest tool to empower developers with “superpowers.”
Developer Productivity Over Time
the following table illustrates the approximate increase in developer productivity over time with the introduction of new tools:
| Era | Typical Coding Method | approximate Lines of Code/Day (per Engineer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | Punch Cards | 10-50 |
| 1980s-1990s | low-Level Code (e.g., C) | 100-300 |
| 2000s-2010s | High-Level Languages (e.g., Java, Python) | 300-1000 |
| 2020s (AI-assisted) | AI-Powered Editors (e.g., Cursor) | 1000+ (effectively multiplied by AI) |