GitHub chief faces extensive backlash after he said, "Use AI or..."

Time of India

2 days ago

Credit: Linkedin/@thomas Dohmke
GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke has sparked a frenzy of controversy in the international developer community following his announcement that developers would need to adapt to artificial intelligence (AI) or exit the industry altogether.
Dohmke contended that AI is no longer a voluntary tool but a core competence for anybody working in software development. His stark message- "Use AI or quit coding", which he stated in his blog post on August 3, 2025, and was also posted on his LinkedIn account.
What was his argument?
Thomas Dohmke thinks the developer's job is experiencing a seismic shift. In his opinion, the transition is away from being a hands-on coding expert to being a "creative director of code," choreographing AI tools instead of writing every line by hand.
He believes, AI systems like GitHub Copilot will write most of the code, while humans concentrate on architecture, direction, and quality assurance.
He quotes his conversations with developers who are already deeply dependent on AI, reporting their work has been revolutionized by gains in efficiency and in solving higher-level problems. He forecasts that within two to five years, as much as 90 percent of code will be coded by AI, and so AI literacy will become a fundamental competency for the profession.
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Is the push necessary?
For Dohmke, the logic is simple: adopting AI early would keep them competitive, while delaying it might cause them to stagnate or become obsolete. He positions AI as a productivity accelerator, liberating developers from boilerplate code and giving them more time to focus on design and innovation.
This isn't, he insists, about substituting for humans but redefining their role. Rather than spend too much time bogged down in syntax and debugging, next-generation developers will coach AI to create strong, efficient, and secure code — a job that involves critical thinking, domain knowledge, and comprehension of how AI models work.
Backlash from the community
Despite his intentions, the message has drawn sharp criticism. Many developers view it as unnecessarily combative and anxiety-inducing, especially in an industry already dealing with automation fears. The framing of 'embrace AI or quit' has been accused of being a scare tactic, suggesting a future where those unwilling or unable to adapt are simply discarded.
It also draws critics' attention to the practical dangers.
Code produced by AI may harbor bugs or security vulnerabilities, and relying on such code without adequate checks could introduce serious vulnerabilities. Others contend that forcing AI adoption so vigorously overlooks the value of human hands-on control and craftsmanship in coding.
Credit: Linkedin
Risks and benefits
There is no question that AI solutions such as GitHub Copilot have proven quantifiable productivity gains, with certain research indicating a 50 percent decrease in time on mundane coding tasks.
For some, AI is a creative collaborator, suggesting ideas, detecting mistakes, and speeding up processes.
Whether his words were intended to provoke or motivate, the dialogue it has generated is one the industry can't afford to ignore. Developers are presented now with a dilemma: embed AI deeply into processes or risk being displaced by those who do. For some, it's an inspiring challenge; for others, it's a corporate dictate that brooks little argument.
The message is unambiguous: the age of AI-driven work, whether it's coding or writing, has arrived! The sooner we understand, the better it is for us, and those who are unwilling to accept it may find themselves on the outside looking in.
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