Microsoft Chief Product Officer's Message For Coders After Laying Off 6,000 Employees
Aparna Chennapragada, the chief product officer (CPO) of experiences and devices at Microsoft, has said she "fundamentally disagrees" with the notion that coding careers are obsolete and computer science irrelevant. Ms Chennapragada's statement came on the heels of the tech giant laying off nearly 6,000 people, roughly 3% of its global workforce.
Learning to code has become more valuable than ever, even though the way we code is changing with time, Ms Chennapragada said during Lenny's Podcast.
"A lot of folks think about, 'Oh, don't bother studying computer science or the coding is dead,' and I just fundamentally disagree," she said.
"If anything, I think we've always had higher and higher layers of abstraction in programming," she added.
Microsoft, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year, emerged as one of the first companies to double down on artificial intelligence (AI) when the tech sector witnessed the historic launch of ChatGPT in 2022.
The job cuts at Microsoft come as the company continues to invest aggressively in AI. In April this year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said AI now wrote up to 30% of their codes in certain projects. This raises questions about the demand for human programmers in future.
But Ms Chennapragada argues that AI represents just another layer of abstraction in the evolution of programming, highlighting they don't program in assembly anymore.
"Most of us don't even program in C, and then you are kind of higher and higher layers of abstraction," she said and suggested that engineers might become "software operators" instead.
There will be an "order of magnitude more software operators", she added.
"Instead of 'Cs,' maybe we'll have 'SOs,' but that does not mean you don't understand computer science," she said.
For project managers, Ms Chennapragada is expecting modified responsibilities, focused on "taste-making and editing".
The lay-offs came as part of Microsoft's effort to cut costs while channelling billions of dollars into AI, something even Google is doing.
"We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace," a Microsoft spokesperson said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
31 minutes ago
- Mint
WWDC 2025: Apple could let developers use its AI models to build new features, says report
Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is all set to take off from 9 June, marking the Cupertino-based tech giant's second-biggest event of the year where it demonstrates all its software prowess. Over the last year, Apple has received a lot of flak for its patchy rollout of new software updates, along with delays in AI features, some of which still haven't arrived. However, the company will likely try to shift attention from those concerns as it focuses on a major rebrand with the unveiling of iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, a significant departure from the current naming scheme used by Cupertino. Gurman says the new AI features to be unveiled by Apple at WWDC 2025 will be minor and are unlikely to impress industry watchers, especially at a time when the pace of AI progress is accelerating, with companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI announcing new products almost every month. Among the AI features Apple is reportedly planning this year is a systemwide push into translation. The Translate functionality will be integrated across Apple operating systems as part of Apple Intelligence, with its main use case being live translation of phone calls and text messages. Gurman adds that the biggest AI-related announcement by Apple will be opening up its large language models (LLMs), the building blocks behind Apple Intelligence, to outside app developers. This will allow them to build their own AI features using the same technology that powers tools like Genmoji and Apple's writing aids. Apple is also expected to announce an upgraded version of its foundation models for both on-device and cloud use at WWDC 2025. Notably, developers will be given access to the on-device version of these LLMs. In terms of other AI announcements, there is unlikely to be any update on Apple's long awaited Siri revamp. Moreover, the Apple's partnership with Google to use Gemini in its apps is also unlikely to be announced at this year's WWDC.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Why ChatGPT essays still fail to fool experts despite good structure, although they are clear and well structured
The advent of AI has marked the rise of many tools, and ChatGPT is one of the most popular ones. Often used for research and writing, this tool has often been the centre of discussion for its ability to fetch interesting content. However, A new study from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK shows that essays written by real students are still better than those produced by ChatGPT, a popular AI writing tool. Researchers compared 145 essays written by university students with 145 essays generated by ChatGPT to see how well the AI can mimic human writing. The study found that although ChatGPT's essays are clear, well structured, and grammatically correct, they lack something important. The AI essays do not show personal insight or deep critical thinking, which are common in student writing. These missing elements make the AI-generated essays feel less engaging and less convincing. However, the researchers do not see AI only as a threat. They believe tools like ChatGPT can be helpful in education if used properly. Instead of shortcuts to finish assignments, AI should be a tool that supports learning and improves writing skills. After all, education is about teaching students how to think clearly and express ideas. These are things no AI can truly replace. One key difference the researchers looked at was how the writers engage readers. Real student essays often include questions, personal comments, and direct appeals to the reader. These techniques help make the writing feel more interactive and persuasive. On the other hand, ChatGPT's essays tend to avoid questions and personal opinions. They follow academic rules but do not show a clear viewpoint or emotional connection. Professor Ken Hyland from UEA explained that the AI focuses on creating text that is logical and smooth but misses conversational details that humans use to connect with readers. This shows that AI writing still struggles with capturing the personal style and strong arguments that real people naturally use.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
You can now schedule tasks with Gemini as Google's powerful new AI feature rivals ChatGPT's capabilities
Google is steadily evolving Gemini into a smarter, more proactive AI assistant that now competes directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT. The tech giant has started rolling out a feature called Scheduled Actions, which lets users automate recurring or timed tasks without repeating commands. Originally previewed during Google I/O, Scheduled Actions is now arriving on both Android and iOS devices. The feature is currently available to subscribers of Google One AI Premium and select Google Workspace business and education plans. With this rollout, Google is pushing Gemini closer to becoming a fully integrated productivity companion. Scheduled Actions let users instruct Gemini to perform specific tasks at set times or intervals. This includes sending daily calendar summaries, weekly content prompts, or even one time reminders. Once scheduled, Gemini handles them automatically in the background with no follow up required. For example, a user might say, 'Send me a summary of today's meetings every morning at 8 AM' or 'Generate weekly blog ideas every Friday at 10 AM.' These tasks run quietly behind the scenes, transforming Gemini from a reactive chatbot into a daily-use productivity tool. The setup process is built to be intuitive, making automation easy for both everyday users and professionals. Within the Gemini app, users can define a task, set the time, and choose the frequency through a clean and accessible interface. Scheduled Actions puts Google in direct competition with the kind of automation ChatGPT users create through Zapier or custom workflows. What gives Gemini a clear edge is its deep integration with Google's suite of apps. Functioning across Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Tasks, Gemini offers a smooth setup and efficient task execution experience. Since it is built into tools people already use, Gemini can interact directly with information across Google's ecosystem. There is no need for third party services or custom scripts. For users already invested in Google's platform, the experience is more seamless than ChatGPT's dependence on external integrations. Scheduled Actions signals a shift in expectations for how AI assistants should function. Instead of waiting for commands, Gemini can now anticipate and handle repetitive tasks, offering a more personal and assistant like experience. While this may be just the beginning, it is a clear step toward positioning Gemini as a truly productivity first AI assistant. And as Gemini continues to evolve, it may not just catch up to ChatGPT but define the next generation of digital assistance.
