Y Combinator Startup Podcast Andrej Karpathy: Software Is Changing (Again)
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Jun 19, 2025 
Andrej Karpathy, former director of AI at Tesla and researcher at OpenAI, dives into the evolution of software with a focus on the emerging era of 'Software 3.0.' He discusses how natural language is set to become the primary programming interface, revolutionizing the way developers interact with code. Karpathy highlights the transformative role of large language models and the balance of automation in software. He also showcases innovative tools like VibeCoding, which aim to make programming more accessible and intuitive for everyone.
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Software Is Evolving Fundamentally
- Software is undergoing a fundamental change, entering a new era referred to as Software 3.0.
- This evolution marks a shift to natural language interfaces where models execute tasks based on prompts in English.
Three Generations of Software
- Software 1.0 is traditional code, Software 2.0 is neural network weights, and Software 3.0 is programming via prompts to large language models.
- Prompts serve as a new programming language written in English, enabling dynamic and programmable neural networks.
Tesla’s Software 2.0 Migration
- At Tesla, as neural networks grew in capability, traditional C++ autopilot code was deleted and replaced by AI models.
- Neural networks progressively took over complex tasks like stitching information across cameras and time frames.
