alt Hacker NewsThe title is doing a lot of work here. What resonated with me is the shift from “writing code” to “steering systems” rather than the hype framing. Senior devs already spend more time constraining, reviewing, and shaping outcomes than typing syntax. AI just makes that explicit. The real skill gap isn’t prompt cleverness, it’s knowing when the agent is confidently wrong and how to fence it in with tests, architecture, and invariants. That part doesn’t scale magically.
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It's difficult to steer complex systems correctly, because no one has a complete picture of the end goal at the outset. That's why waterfall fails. Writing code agentically means you have to go out of your way to think deeply about what you're building, because it won't be forced on you by the act of writing code. If your requirements are complex, they might actually be a hindrance because you're going have to learn those lessons from failed iterations instead of avoiding them preemptively.
The stereotype that writing code is for junior developers needs to die. Some devs are hired with lofty titles specifically for their programming aptitude and esoteric systems knowlege, not to play implementation telephone with inexperienced devs.
Does using an LLM to craft Hackernews comments count as "steering systems"?
"it’s knowing when the agent is confidently wrong and how to fence it in with tests, architecture, and invariants."
Strongly suspect this is simply less efficient than doing it yourself if you have enough expertise.
Is anyone else getting more mentally exhausted by this? I get more done, but I also miss the relaxing code typing in the middle of the process.