Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to programmers: Stop building the house. Start designing it.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt argues that the role of programmers is shifting from manual coding to architectural design as AI tools become more proficient at writing code. He advises the next generation to focus on directing AI agents rather than performing low-level execution.
Why it matters
This reflects a significant paradigm shift in the software industry, suggesting that AI will fundamentally change the labor requirements for technical roles.
The former Google CEO said AI coding tools have beaten him at writing code even at his best. Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for America Business Forum Eric Schmidt said AI coding tools can now write code he never could at his best. The former Google CEO still advises young people to learn programming. Schmidt said future programmers will act as architects, directing AI to execute their designs. The former Google CEO said AI has beaten him at the thing he was once best at. Eric Schmidt, now 71, told Blackstone's "Inside Blackstone" podcast that he was among the top programmers of his generation, but today's AI coding tools are writing the code he couldn't. "I was a very, very good programmer when I was 22, right? I was one of the best, according to myself. My field is over, right?" Schmidt told podcast host Christine Anderson.
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