Sridhar Vembu finds it sad AI writing code, engineers no longer know how to do their job
AI is supposed to make software engineers more productive. From writing code and tests to creating product documents and resolving tickets, AI is now helping with almost every part of software development. Companies argue that with AI handling the heavy lifting, engineers can spend more time on work that actually requires human thinking. But some engineers are now worried that the opposite is happening. They argue that while AI is doing so much of the work, developers no longer have enough time to understand the code, solve problems or even know what they are building. And Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu thinks the situation is concerning.
The concern was raised by a software engineer on X, whose post has now drawn reactions from Vembu and Elon Musk. The engineer, who goes by voxium, says they joined a large company around two weeks ago and were surprised by how much of the engineering work is being handled by Anthropic's Claude Code. ““The state of engineering right now is horrible. It has been half a month since I started a new role at a big company. Nobody knows anything here. The specs, code, tests, PRDs, tickets, resolution of those tickets, reports, etc., everything is made by Claude Code. Nobody on my team likes this,” the post reads. The more concerning point the engineer argues is that developers are no longer spending enough time understanding the code AI generates. They claim engineers are increasingly just directing Claude, reviewing its output and shipping it, rather than solving problems, investigating bugs and understanding how the systems they build actually work.
Vembu shared the post and called the situation sad. He added that he tells his own engineers to use AI but not give up their understanding to it.
“This is sad. I tell our engineers to use AI but never cede our understanding to AI,” Vembu wrote in his reply.
Vembu also compared the situation to driving a fancy new car that people barely understand how to operate, warning that moving too quickly could invite problems.
“As an industry, we are driving too fast in a fancy new car we barely understand how to drive, inviting disaster,” he added.
The post also caught Elon Musk's attention. Musk responded to the engineer's account with a brief "Yikes", adding his reaction to the discussion around AI-generated software development.
The debate around the role of software engineers comes at a time when coding tools such as Claude Code are becoming increasingly capable of handling complex software tasks. For developers, that can mean faster coding and less time spent on repetitive work. But as AI takes on more of the development process, there are now concerns about what work is actually being left for human coders to do.- EndsPublished By: Divya BhatiPublished On: Sep 21, 2026 16:49 ISTAlso Read | Nothing to make CMF an India company, targets 100 million phones with $100 million investmentAlso Read | Microsoft opens new data centre in Hyderabad as part of its $20.5 billion AI plan for IndiaAlso Read | Many Airtel users now eligible for free Apple TV and iCloud+ subscription, check here if you are
