Claude Code, Codex, Github Speckit, Cursor, and whatever new tool that came out between me writing this article and you reading this — it seems that all of them are fueling the anxiety of CS grads and junior developers. It's an implicit (and sometimes explicit) existential threat: that there will be no place for them anymore. And it feels like everyone in the industry is coming to the same consensus.
This logic is seductive to the experienced who believe they can run laps around the inexperienced. This leads both parties to question what is the value proposition of having inexperienced people in a software development team. In this short opinion piece, I'd like to talk to them both.
Don't bite the apple.
To the experienced devs, the team leads, the managers: I get it. The model of a senior software developer with AI tooling is tempting. It feels like we can finally complete tasks in a day that otherwise would have previously needed a team and a couple of weeks to complete. No more 1-on-1s about basic syntax. No more outsourcing to a team you'll never meet. No more "babysitting". Just you, your expertise, and a flawless, lightening-fast assistant.
However, I believe this logic is a trap. We now know from a Stanford University study that while AI can improve productivity, at most its by 20% and for only certain situations. A 20% boost is an optimization, not a revolution.
Frankly, the only real revolution would be AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Which if it came out, you can skip the rest of the article.
A 20% boost should not come at the cost of no longer valuing juniors, as it would be a mistake to equate their value to only be doing low-level, boilerplate tasks. And if we take a moment to reflect, that has never been their true duty at their job.
The duty that juniors have always meant to perform is one of learning. The best juniors are learning your business. They are learning to get along with your team. They are learning how to build trust. They are learning to take ownership. The amount of tribal knowledge on how everything works inside your organization that juniors can learn will never be captured by an AI's context window.
Juniors can do things that AI can never do.
Ownership, trust, social skills, and a guarantee that whatever is built, works. These are four things an AI model will never give you. AI has no skin in the game, it doesn't care if you win or lose. It isn't looking out for edge cases or willing to understand your business context. It will never proactively do anything for you like an enthusiastic junior would. It will never celebrate your successes nor will it ever want to.
Building software should always be, and will always be a collaborative venture. There is merit in working with other people. Investing in juniors will net everyone wonderful seniors.
And to my junior developers: This is your definitive advantage. Lean into that ownership, build that trust, and master the collaborative skills that define our craft. Let AI handle the syntax while you handle the 'why.' Every time you do one of these things, you are doing something AI fundamentally cannot. Keep cultivating these skills and you will always be essential.
Your honor, I rest my case.