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David Heinemeier Hansson

What David Heinemeier Hansson thinks about AI and jobs

@dhh · 154 positions · 10 changes of mind

Creator of Ruby on Rails, CTO of 37signals, and creator of Omarchy.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

David Heinemeier Hansson did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

12 dated positions, 2024 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what David Heinemeier Hansson has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingSoftware is product management, and those are the skills the agentic era rewards — skills that are not evenly distributed among programmers.

    Their wordsThe reason I say that is there's a lot of programmers who are not very good product managers. Software is product management. What should it do? Who should it do it for? How should it do it? How should it look? What are our priorities? What do we start with first? What does version one include? All of those skills are not easily or equally distributed across all programmers.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 13th of 41 in this recording

    product management

    Interesting

  3. Our readingProgrammers who loved the mechanical act of coding are under threat; those who wanted to build things are not.

    Their wordsI think you're gonna have a hard time coping with the new reality if the only thing you loved about programming was the mechanical bits of putting the right logical constructs together to produce something other people told you to produce. Because that mechanical process is under threat. If you are, as you just mentioned, excited about building things, I don't think you're under threat at all.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 17th of 41 in this recording

    Interesting

  5. Our readingA productivity improvement means fewer people doing the same job, and that should be said plainly by the people defending it as good.

    Their wordsThis is very important because in the abstract, I think everyone says, "Yay, productivity. That's good." What did you think, this was all just vibes? No. Productivity means fewer people to do the same number or the same job. Now, the amount of job you want done may increase, and therefore you get more people, but it also may not.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 18th of 41 in this recording

    Interesting

  7. Our readingThe current tech layoffs are pandemic over-hiring correcting itself, with AI as the convenient excuse.

    Their wordsAnd I think what we're seeing right now with some of the layoffs is a testament to that, not AI. It's just that during the pandemic, a bunch of overhiring went on, and now AI is a convenient excuse to slim down. But I do also think AI is going to expose some roles as just not being productive ways for humans to spend their time, and therefore we must come up with new ways of spending their time.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Agentic Engineering, Vibe Coding & Linux | Lex Fridman Podcast #501youtube.com 26th of 41 in this recording

    hiring

    Interesting
  8. 5 months earlier

  9. Our readingThe bulk of agent acceleration is accruing to senior programmers, because judging whether agent output can ship is what made them senior.

    Their wordsthe most successful and applicable agent acceleration that I've seen at 37 signal has been from the most senior people the people who are able to validate whether what the agent produces is suitable to be deployed to millions of people.

    ↗DHH’s new way of writing codeyoutube.com 11th of 20 in this recording

    Interesting

  11. Our readingPeak programmer has passed: the economic value of writing code by hand has peaked, and Jevons' paradox will not bail every programmer out.

    Their wordsSo, I do think it is correct for the average programmer to think maybe we've seen the best of the golden days.

    ↗DHH’s new way of writing codeyoutube.com 15th of 20 in this recording

    Interesting

  13. Our readingThe meme that programmers no longer need to be competent is a trap: the path is competence, and AI does not change that.

    Their wordsreally good programmers are currently more valuable than ever because they're the ones who are able to get the most out of the AI acceleration.

    ↗DHH’s new way of writing codeyoutube.com 18th of 20 in this recording

    Interesting
  14. 9 months earlier

  15. Our readingPeak programmer has passed: the economic value of writing code by hand has peaked, and Jevons' paradox will not bail every programmer out.

    Their wordsIt may no longer have as much economic value as it once did. I think that I'm quite convinced is true that we perhaps have seen the peak.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Ruby on Rails, Productivity & Parenting | Lex Fridman Podcast #474youtube.com 12th of 36 in this recording

    Interesting

  17. Our readingThe meme that programmers no longer need to be competent is a trap: the path is competence, and AI does not change that.

    Their wordsWhere I get fired up, and this ties back to the AI discussion, is when that's turned into this meme, that programmers no longer have to be competent. I mean the AI is gonna figure it out. The generators is gonna figure it out. I don't need to know SQL, active record is gonna abstract it away from me. No, no, no dude, hold up. The path here is competence.

    ↗DHH: Future of Programming, AI, Ruby on Rails, Productivity & Parenting | Lex Fridman Podcast #474youtube.com 17th of 36 in this recording

    Interesting
  18. 3 months earlier

  19. Our readingHowever capable AI coding tools become, the industry will still need junior programmers, because someone must be able to vet what the machine produces.

    Their wordsHowever good AI gets, we're always going to need people who know the ins and outs of what the machine comes up with.

    ↗We'll always need junior programmersworld.hey.com

    Interesting
  20. 2 weeks earlier

  21. Our readingUniversal basic income is at most a small part of the answer to AI-driven job loss.

    Their wordsThe purpose of work is not just about earning your keep, but also about earning a purpose and a place in the world.

    ↗Universal Basic Dead Endworld.hey.com

    Interesting
  22. 7 months earlier

  23. Our readingThe meme that programmers no longer need to be competent is a trap: the path is competence, and AI does not change that.

    Their wordsit's a luxury good like you're not paying the penalty for that the people who embrace it and think that they can just ask AI for everything or they can just look everything up but they don't have to understand the copy pasta that they slam into their project they're the ones who going to suffer

    ↗DHH Is Right About Everythingyoutube.com 1st of 8 in this recording

    Interesting