Article

The 70% problem: hard truths about AI-assisted coding

Addy Osmani (Google) · addyo.substack.com

The definitive essay on why the last 30% still needs engineering.

Open on addyo.substack.com ↗

The question it answers

  1. What are the limits, when do I still need a real engineer?

Read with it

  1. When the biggest AI coding tool's CEO warns you, listen. fortune.com Article Cursor CEO warns vibe coding builds 'shaky foundations' Fortune
  2. The world's best-known AI educator punctures the effortless myth. developers.slashdot.org Article Andrew Ng: vibe coding is a bad name for a very real and exhausting job Slashdot / Andrew Ng
  3. The gold-standard RCT: AI made experts 19% slower while they felt faster. arxiv.org Article Measuring the impact of early-2025 AI on experienced developer productivity (METR) METR
  4. A working engineer's readable take on what the study does and does not prove. seangoedecke.com Article METR's AI productivity study is really good Sean Goedecke
  5. How professionals actually draw the line between vibes and production. newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com Article Vibe coding as a software engineer Gergely Orosz (The Pragmatic Engineer)
  6. The industry's most trusted engineering newsletter maps the real limits. newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com Article How AI-assisted coding will change software engineering: hard truths The Pragmatic Engineer + Addy Osmani
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