In a note posted to his blog on 11th September 2026, developer Simon Willison responded to a Hacker News discussion titled 'Feeling sad about AI.' Willison wrote that many people, including himself 'a few years ago now,' have gone through 'this moment of existential crisis and come out the other side.' He described the initial reaction to seeing a coding agent complete in an hour work that would have taken a week: 'to be very disheartened by it.' Willison argued that once a developer accepts that 'translating an exact specification into decent code isn't a unique skill any more,' they can focus on the 'larger set of problems' faced by a software engineer, where existing skill and experience allow them to 'master these new tools, provide value, and execute at a level far greater than anyone who is just getting started.' He added that developers unwilling to see their profession change would find the shift difficult, but noted this has 'been true for the history of software engineering,' questioning whether tools and languages have ever been stable 'beyond about a five year time horizon.' Willison acknowledged the current changes are 'happening a bit faster.' The post is an opinion comment, not a report of events.
- Posted by Simon Willison on 11th September 2026 as a comment on a Hacker News thread titled 'Feeling sad about AI'
- Willison argues developers' depth and experience let them outperform newcomers using agents
- He frames rapid tool change as a long-standing feature of software engineering
What it means for you
This is a working developer's honest take on the emotional side of AI changing how software gets written: many feel demoralised watching a tool do in an hour what used to take a week, then adjust. His point is that writing code from a clear spec is becoming less special, while judgment, experience and knowing which problems to solve still matter. If you're not a developer, there's little here for you.
Try this
If you write code or manage people who do, read the short post and use it to open an honest conversation with your team about where their value actually sits as these tools improve.
Who should care
Software developers and technical leads feeling uneasy about AI coding agents, and small-business owners who employ or contract developers.
Skip this if
You don't write software or manage anyone who does — this is a personal reflection with no action attached.
Sources: Simon Willison — read the original