Mike Krieger: Why Software Engineers Need to Embrace AI – or Risk Obsolescence

When Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger, now the Chief Product Officer at Anthropic, talks about the future of software engineering, people in the tech world sit up and listen. His vision is bold, a little unsettling, but undeniably clear: The job of a software engineer is about to change in ways we can’t ignore.

In the next three years, Krieger predicts a seismic shift. Instead of hunched over keyboards, typing out lines of code, engineers will spend most of their time reviewing code generated by artificial intelligence. “The day-to-day work is changing,” he said in his recent podcast interview “20VC with Harry Stebbings”.

Read More: Mike Krieger Shares Insights on AI’s Future Value and Challenges on 20VC Podcast

The question is, how do we evolve from being mostly code writers to mostly delegators to the models and code reviewers?

— Mike Krieger, Instagram Co-Founder and CPO at Anthropic

Let’s unpack what this means for engineers, their careers, and the tech world at large.

Code Reviewers, Not Code Writers

Imagine a world where AI tools like GitHub Copilot or Anthropic’s own technology can draft 90% of the code needed to build an app or platform. Engineers wouldn’t write it, they’d audit it. Are the algorithms efficient? Does the code align with user needs? Is it secure? This isn’t just “light editing”. It’s scrutiny at scale, a role that blends quality control with strategic oversight.

Krieger calls this “delegation”. Engineers will need to decide which tasks go to AI (like repetitive boilerplate work) and which stay human. It’s a skill that’s as much about judgment as technical prowess.

The role of software engineers is shifting from coders to delegates, and that’s a good thing

— Mike Krieger, Instagram Co-Founder and CPO at Anthropic

Creativity Beats Syntax

AI excels at the “how” but stumbles on the “what”. Krieger emphasizes that human engineers are still the best at solving messy real-world problems. Think about it: A machine can write flawless code, but it can’t brainstorm a feature that delights users or anticipate a market need.

This means engineers will shift from “debugging code” to “designing experiences”. They’ll prototype, sketch ideas, and work closely with designers and product managers, skills that combine creativity with technical fluency. As Krieger put it, “Driving alignment and figuring out what to build is still the hardest part”.

Multidisciplinary Minds

The future engineer won’t just be a coder. They’ll need to think like a product manager, a designer, and a strategist all at once. At Anthropic, Krieger noticed that many breakthroughs started with engineers who had broad skills. “Many, maybe even most, of our good product ideas come from our engineers,” he said.

This aligns with trends at companies like Google, where 25% of new code is already written by AI. But Google isn’t replacing engineers, it’s retraining them. Engineers are focusing on systems thinking, ethical AI use, and even user psychology. These are the areas where humans outshine machines.

AI Isn’t Your Enemy, It’s Your Colleague

Krieger agrees that AI isn’t about replacing engineers, it’s about reshaping their role. “I think it becomes multidisciplinary, where it’s knowing what to build as much as it is knowing the exact implementation that you want.”

Take AI-powered debugging tools. They can catch syntax errors, but they can’t replace the creativity needed to rethink an entire system. Similarly, AI can generate code quickly, but humans must ensure it’s ethical, user-friendly, and scalable.

What Should Engineers Do Now?

If you’re a developer, Krieger’s advice is blunt: Adapt or risk obsolescence. Focus on skills AI can’t replicate like strategic thinking, collaboration, and curiosity. Learn to work with AI tools, not against them.

Start exploring:

• AI-driven analytics tools to review code faster.
• User experience design to build human-centric products.
• Project management to lead AI-augmented teams.

And don’t neglect soft skills. As Krieger noted, alignment and product strategy still demand room conversations and not algorithms.

A New Era for Tech

The future Krieger describes is not scary, it is exciting. Imagine engineers freed from repetitive tasks, empowered to tackle big problems: climate tech, healthcare innovations, or AI ethics. By delegating coding to machines, humans can focus on what we’re best at: dreaming big.

But it’s also a wake-up call. The next three years will be tough for anyone clinging to old models. The engineers who thrive will be those who see AI not as a rival but as a collaborator and a tool to build the un imaginable.

As Krieger told his podcast listeners,

The work is changing. The question is, are you ready to change with it?”

Mike Krieger is a co-founder of Instagram and currently serves as Chief Product Officer at Anthropic. His insights into AI and software engineering stem from his work at the forefront of AI development and product strategy.

Read the original article on Business Insider