The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source Adventures in babysitting coding agents (Friends)
39 snips
Jun 6, 2025 
Software engineer Steve Yegge, known for his insights on coding and AI, shares his thoughts on the future of software development. He claims the IDE is dead and argues that babysitting AI agents is more engaging than traditional coding. Steve discusses the rise of vibe coding, which empowers non-engineers and enhances job satisfaction. He also explores how AI is reshaping roles for developers and the importance of continuous learning amidst these shifts. Plus, he tackles the skepticism around AI adoption in enterprise environments.
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The Death of the IDE
- The traditional IDE is dying as developers shift to cloud-based, terminal, and agent-assisted coding environments.
- Code editors will exist but focus will shift to managing and orchestrating multiple AI coding agents.
AI Fixes Emacs Startup Issue
- Steve gave an AI agent a tough Emacs shell startup performance problem and awoke to find it fixed perfectly.
- The agent independently fixed long-standing bugs and cleaned up code, showcasing the future of vibe coding.
Managing Agents Like Assassin's Creed
- Steve compared managing multiple AI agents to leading a team of assassins in Assassin's Creed.
- He finds managing multiple agents addictive and exciting, akin to strategic gameplay.
