Microsoft exec says coding is not dead after 6,000 layoffs and AI writing 30 per cent of code for the company

India Today

24-05-2025

While some are ready to declare the death of coding in the age of artificial intelligence, Microsoft's chief product officer of experiences and devices, Aparna Chennapragada, firmly disagrees. In a recent appearance on Lenny's Podcast, Chennapragada pushed back against the notion that computer science is becoming irrelevant, insisting that learning to code is more valuable than ever, even if the way we code is changing. This comes at a time when Microsoft has laid off 6,000 employees and urged its engineers to ramp up the use of AI tools. advertisementMicrosoft chief thinks coding is not dead"A lot of folks think about, 'Oh, don't bother studying computer science or coding is dead,' and I just fundamentally disagree," said Chennapragada. "If anything, I think we've always had higher and higher layers of abstraction in programming."She pointed out that AI is not replacing software engineers, but is instead becoming a part of the natural evolution of software development, the latest in a long history of making code more accessible and high-level. "We don't program in assembly anymore. Most of us don't even program in C," she explained. "And then you're kind of higher and higher layers of abstraction. So to me, there will be ways that you will tell the computer what to do, right? It'll just be at a much higher level of abstraction, which is great. It democratises."advertisement
Chennapragada admitted that roles might shift over time, suggesting that tomorrow's engineers may function more like 'software operators' than traditional developers, but she dismissed the idea that the core skills of computer science will vanish."There'll be an order of magnitude more software operators," she said. "Instead of 'SWEs,' maybe we'll have 'SOs,' but that doesn't mean you don't understand computer science. It's a way of thinking, and it's a mental model. So I strongly disagree with the whole, 'Coding is dead.'"The discussion didn't stop at the engineers. Chennapragada also weighed in on the changing role of project managers, who are increasingly feeling the pressure of what's been dubbed Big Tech's 'great flattening' — the broad trimming of middle management layers in tech companies.According to her, project managers aren't going anywhere either, but they'll need to adapt. The surge of ideas and prototypes enabled by AI means project managers must sharpen their curatorial instincts."In some sense, if you look at it, there's going to be a massive increase in the supply of ideas and prototypes, which is great," she said. "It raises the floor, but it raises the ceiling as well. In some sense, how do you break out in these times? You have to make sure that this is something that rises above the noise."advertisementShe emphasised the growing importance of what she called 'taste-making and editing' — the ability to filter through an overwhelming volume of creative output to find what's truly valuable. This shift has already started to affect how teams operate, she noted. With AI lowering the barrier to entry for rapid experimentation, Chennapragada has seen teams rely less on managerial gatekeepers.Microsoft laid off 6,000 employees While the Microsoft chief was seen boasting of "AI not replacing software engineers", two days ago, Microsoft laid off 6,000 employees. It is no secret that Microsoft has been among the top big tech companies to lay off thousands of its employees.The recent wave of global layoffs has affected around 6,000 employees, but a closer look reveals a stark and troubling pattern. According to internal data reviewed by Bloomberg, over 40 per cent of those laid off in Washington state were software engineers, raising questions about the future of human coders at a company rapidly embracing AI.One case in point is Jeff Hulse, a Microsoft vice president overseeing a 400-person engineering team. As The Information reported, Hulse had encouraged his engineers to ramp up their use of OpenAI-powered tools, aiming to generate up to 50 per cent of their code through AI, well above the company's typical 20–30 per cent benchmark. Just weeks later, many of those same engineers were shown the door. The timing is unsettling: were these developers, in effect, building the tools that would ultimately displace them?advertisementCEO Satya Nadella has been vocal about AI's role in transforming productivity at Microsoft, proudly stating that in some projects, nearly a third of the code is now AI-generated. But for the engineers caught in the layoff round, those advances seem more like a corporate trade-off than a technological triumph.Contrary to Chennapragada's public reassurance that project management roles would remain safe in the age of AI, Microsoft's axe didn't spare them either. Employees in product management and technical programme management, along with some involved in AI initiatives, were hit as well.