19 October 2026
Essay argues AI coding agents are eroding programming as a craft
First reported
Simon Willison ran this on .
- An essay by Jeremy Scheff argues that coding agents, which are AI tools that write software, are wearing away programming as a puzzle-solving job.
- The essay says these tools suit people who want to build things more than people who enjoy solving the problems themselves.
- Its author treats the loss as real for programmers who love the problem-solving part of the work.
How it was covered
Simon WillisonDaily notes and links
Jeremy Scheff's essay on coding agents, the enjoyment of solving programming puzzles, and who gains or loses from LLMs