Zoho's Sridhar Vembu says one skill can still help software developers beat AI. How to learn?
Sridhar Vembu, Zoho founder, shared his perspective on software development and AI. He emphasized the importance of human intuition and creativity. He cautioned against blindly relying on AI, which could lead to unmanageable code. Vembu highlighted Zoho's use of AI in its products and internal operations. Social media users discussed the future of programming skills.
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What is the one skill that will help techies?
In a world racing towards automation and AI-driven everything, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu offers a grounded, thought-provoking take on what truly makes great software. While AI continues to evolve at breakneck speed—powering tools, generating code, and even playing games like Chess and Go with surprising ingenuity—Vembu reminds us that some things, like intuition, creativity, and judgment, still remain distinctly human.Taking to social media, Vembu broke down the essence of software development as the discovery and application of patterns. He emphasized that good programmers are those who master existing patterns and use them wisely. But great programmers go a step further—they discover new, elegant patterns that push the boundaries of software itself.He acknowledged that smart AI has become skilled at learning from an immense pool of known patterns and recommending their use, making life easier for developers in many scenarios. But he issued a caution: without careful discernment, relying blindly on AI could lead to what he called 'impossible to maintain AI slop'—bloated, unmanageable, and inefficient codebases that lack structure and foresight.Importantly, Vembu noted that AI hasn't yet reached the stage where it can create truly original, beautiful new patterns—something the best human programmers do intuitively. However, he hinted that it may just be a matter of time, citing examples like AI's surprising strategies in games such as Chess and Go. Overall, Zoho's Rs 50,000 crore man's tweet is a reminder that no matter the change AI brings, innovation still begins with the human mind. Following Sridhar Vembu's reflections on software development and the evolving role of AI, several users on social media joined the conversation with compelling insights and questions of their own.One user raised a concern about the future of programming judgment, questioning how developers would cultivate this critical skill if they relied too heavily on AI for coding tasks. In response, Vembu emphasized the importance of humans continuing to understand and appreciate good patterns, adding that at least some individuals must retain the ability to create new ones—just as is essential in music or art.When asked how he stays up to speed with the rapidly evolving world of AI, especially having started Zoho before the AI boom, Sridhar Vembu shared that he dedicates most of his waking hours to reading, learning, thinking, and experimenting in a continuous loop. He outlined four key ways Zoho is leveraging AI. First, the company is actively integrating AI into its products to enhance productivity and user experience, with use cases like summarizing information, generating insights and reports, and suggesting actions to users. Second, AI is being used internally across functions—marketing, sales, support and IT to optimize workflows. Third, Zoho is applying AI in software development, mainly as an advanced alternative to search, though usage varies by developer. Lastly, the company has a small research team working on foundational AI models and ideas, aiming for long-term innovation.Others noted that pattern matching is already a strength of AI models. With the continuous scaling of data and advancements in emerging methodologies, these systems are expected to become even more proficient. However, they cautioned that the challenge ahead may shift from creating code to mastering how best to use such powerful tools, indicating that the core skillsets required in tech could soon undergo a major transformation. Many found the discussion deeply thought-provoking, appreciating how it sparked optimism and curiosity about the possibilities ahead for developers and AI alike.
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