Andrew Wilkinson argues that advanced AI models have achieved AGI-like capabilities in programming. He quotes Anthropic's CEO, suggesting that the role of a programmer is shifting to that of an architect, and many current programmers are in denial because their paycheck depends on not understanding this shift.

Beyond traditional engineers using AI and non-technical "vibe coders," a third archetype is emerging: the "agentic engineer." This professional operates at a higher level of abstraction, managing AI agents to perform programming, rather than writing or even reading the code themselves, reinventing the engineering skill set.

AI coding has advanced so rapidly that tools like Claude Code are now responsible for their own development. This signals a fundamental shift in the software engineering profession, requiring programmers to master a new, higher level of abstraction to remain effective.

As AI agents handle the mechanics of code generation, the primary role of a developer is elevated. The new bottlenecks are not typing speed or syntax, but higher-level cognitive tasks: deciding what to build, designing system architecture, and curating the AI's work.

AI tools are automating code generation, reducing the time developers spend writing it. Consequently, the primary skill shifts to carefully reviewing and verifying the AI-generated code for correctness and security. This means a developer's time is now spent more on review and architecture than on implementation.

Top-performing engineering teams are evolving from hands-on coding to a managerial role. Their primary job is to define tasks, kick off multiple AI agents in parallel, review plans, and approve the final output, rather than implementing the details themselves.

Experienced engineers using tools like Claude Code are no longer writing significant amounts of code. Their primary role shifts to designing systems, defining tasks, and managing a team of AI agents that perform the actual implementation, fundamentally changing the software development workflow.

The role of a top engineer is shifting from writing code to orchestrating multiple AI agents simultaneously. Notion's co-founder now queues tasks for AIs to work on while he's away, becoming a manager of AI talent rather than just an individual contributor, dramatically multiplying his leverage.

Despite creating code that could replace junior and senior developers, the author argues AI is a tool for enhancement. The key skills for future developers are not just coding, but the ability to effectively direct AI through prompting and validate its output via debugging. This mirrors how computers augmented, rather than eliminated, mathematicians.