Rebutting "Code Was Never the Hard Part": A Defense of Programmers
rseroter · x · 2026-08-11
Amid the AI coding revolution, the narrative that "code was never the hard part" is prevalent. Developer Senko Rašić argues this is a gross insult to all programmers.
The article points out that if coding were truly easy, skilled developers wouldn't be in high demand with high salaries. There wouldn't be a need for doorstopper books like Clean Code, rigorous leetcode interviews, or entire college degrees. If coding is trivial, why is software still so buggy, and why do developers feel their professional identity is being stripped away by AI? Programming involves deep engineering challenges and shouldn't be dismissed.
Related event: Rebutting "Coding Was Never Hard": Engineering Reflections in the AI Era(5 posts)→
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