Andrew Ng: Why Software Engineering Fundamentals Remain Critical in the Age of AI Coding Agents

AndrewYNg · x · 2026-08-29

Andrew Ng published an article discussing the enduring importance of software engineering fundamentals in the era of agentic coding. He argues that even when agents write all the code, developers must understand the basics to steer agents toward correct trade-offs regarding latency, availability, consistency, and cost. Without this foundation, developers fail to direct agents effectively, leading to suboptimal architectural decisions.

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