The Rise of the Machines: Sam Altman on AI's 50% Stranglehold on Coding Careers

Tech billionaire and CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman offered timeless advice to students, urging them to focus on mastering artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Altman noted that AI currently performs over 50 percent of the coding work in several organizations. 

Skilled for the Future 

Altman gave this advice in an interview with Stratechery, highlighting how AI is increasingly taking over coding tasks in many companies, estimating that AI now performs over 50 percent of the coding work in several organizations. He stressed that learning to work with AI is key to staying relevant in an evolving job market, comparing today’s focus on mastering AI tools to the emphasis on learning coding skills when he was younger. 

"Like when I was graduating as a senior from high school, the obvious tactical thing was to get really good at coding. And this is the new version of that. The obvious tactical thing is just to get good at using AI tools," Altman said. He believes that being well-versed in AI can provide a long-term advantage as the industry transitions further towards automation.

AI Replacements

The idea of AI replacing human coders has always been a debate, especially among industry leaders. However, that could soon become a reality. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, recently predicted that AI could generate as much as 90 percent of code within six months while OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, Kevin Weil, also suggested that by the end of 2025, AI may outperform humans in coding.

Altman backed these predictions, observing that AI’s role in coding is already substantial. He also touched upon the concept of "agentic coding" – an advanced form of automation where AI could take on even more coding responsibilities. While this concept is still in development, Altman is optimistic about its potential, though he acknowledged that current models still need refinement before reaching that stage.

Adopting New Tech Skills 

Altman encouraged students to prepare to enter the workforce by focusing on broad skills like adaptability and resilience, which he believes will be valuable in navigating the changing landscape. He stressed the importance of cultivating the ability to learn new technologies and approaches, rather than just mastering specific technical skills.

Furthermore, he suggested that the demand for software engineers may decline as AI becomes more capable. While he acknowledged that engineers are currently in demand, he predicted that the number of engineers required could decrease as AI takes on more tasks. “Each software engineer will be able to do much more, but over time, we might need fewer engineers,” he said.

However, Altman explained that the displacement of jobs due to AI won’t be sudden but will accelerate gradually. He described it as a process that will start slow, affecting small areas, but will eventually spread more rapidly across industries, as AI gets more refined.