“Code was never the hard part” is an insult to all programmers
- ID
- 12311
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 08 Aug 2026, 10:32 PM
- Fetched
- 10 Aug 2026, 11:29 PM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://blog.senko.net/code-was-never-the-hard-part-is-an-insult-to-all-programmers
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 5.5
- Created
- 11 Aug 2026, 12:36 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_codersai_ml_learners
What happened
Senko Rašić pushes back against the popular narrative that 'coding was never the hard part' of software development, arguing it dismisses the skill, stress, and craft programmers have invested for years. He challenges both sides of the claim with rhetorical questions: if coding is easy, why do buggy software, burnout, and deep technical literature exist; and if figuring out what to build is the hard part, why aren't product managers and business analysts the highest-paid rockstars in tech companies.
Why it matters
If you're using AI coding tools or building AI-assisted products, this piece is a useful counterweight to the prevailing discourse that coding skill is becoming irrelevant. It's worth reading before you repeat 'code was never the hard part' in a team discussion or hiring context—the argument has logical gaps that the author exposes, and dismissing implementation difficulty may lead you to undervalue experienced engineers precisely when AI-generated code needs the most careful review.
Discussion angle
Does the 'code was never the hard part' framing actually change how teams allocate resources or hire, or is it just cope on both sides—engineers protecting identity and AI advocates overselling ease? Where does this break down for Malaysian startups shipping with small teams where one person does both product and code?