Decoder with Nilay Patel Stack Overflow users don't trust AI. They're using it anyway
148 snips
Dec 15, 2025 
Prashanth Chandrasekhar, CEO of Stack Overflow, discusses the seismic changes his company faced post-ChatGPT launch. He reveals his decisive actions, including reallocating staff to tackle the AI threat. The conversation dives into why Stack Overflow banned AI-generated answers to maintain trust, the challenges of community pushback, and innovative features like AI Assist. Prashanth shares insights on balancing revenue through data licensing and the necessity of deepening user relationships amid evolving AI dynamics.
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Rapid Code-Red Response
- Prashanth declared the AI moment existential and carved out ~10% of the company to respond quickly.
- He set a six-month deadline to produce a meaningful public and enterprise response by a conference keynote.
Two Distinct Business Realities
- Stack Overflow had two distinct businesses: a public Q&A community and an enterprise product.
- The enterprise side gained strategic value because curated knowledge is crucial context for AI agents.
Community Policing Of AI Slop
- AI answers spiked activity because people used ChatGPT to post responses, which the community quickly detected.
- That detection drove the temporary ban on AI-generated answers to protect trust and quality.
