Monzo co-founder and Y Combinator partner Tom Blomfield has sparked fierce debate by declaring that artificial intelligence will soon render traditional software engineering obsolete. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) and a follow-up blog, Blomfield argued that AI coding tools have advanced to the point where they will soon outperform humans in “basically every facet” of programming.
Blomfield compared software engineers to farmers before the invention of mechanized agriculture: “We just invented the combine harvester. The world is going to have a lot more food and a lot fewer farmers in very short order.” His comments drew hundreds of responses, with many software engineers rejecting the idea that their highly skilled jobs could disappear so quickly. However, Blomfield insists skeptics are underestimating how rapidly AI has improved. “People who dismissed AI coding tools even six months ago need to re-evaluate,” he wrote, noting that he personally spent 80-100 hours using these tools last month and found them “genuinely astonishing.”
Looking ahead, Blomfield envisions a near future where software teams consist entirely of AI agents, with humans only providing high-level guidance. “Within five years, some coding teams will be self-directing,” he predicted, adding that manual coding will eventually seem as archaic as driving a classic car. He warns that software engineering is just the beginning—professions like medicine, law, accounting, and architecture could face similar disruption.
While optimistic about AI’s long-term potential to cure diseases and extend human lifespans, Blomfield expressed concern about the short-term upheaval: “The impact on hundreds of millions of people will be profound, and few are prepared.” His remarks highlight the growing tension between AI’s transformative promise and its potential to destabilize the job market.