Founders’ takes: AI isn’t the end of developers — it’s their evolution

Founders’ takes: AI isn’t the end of developers — it’s their evolution

Summary

Steven Kleinveld of Skylark argues that AI is not a replacement for developers but an accelerant. While vibe coding and no-code tools let people spin up MVPs quickly, they hit limits around complexity, reliability, security and scalability. Developers who learn to work with AI will be more productive and valuable; those who ignore it risk being left behind. The article stresses the need for human oversight to prevent ‘AI drift’ and to handle architecture, data flows and UX decisions.

Source

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/ai-vibe-coding-wont-replace-developers

Key Points

  1. AI excels at repetitive tasks—boilerplate, snippets and prototyping—but struggles with end-to-end reliability, security and scalability.
  2. Vibe coding and no-code tools speed up MVPs but often hit a ceiling as product complexity grows.
  3. ‘AI drift’ can steer a product away from its intended direction; experienced developers are needed to detect and correct this.
  4. Developers who embrace AI tools will be more productive and replace those who don’t.
  5. Non-technical founders still need a solid grasp of AI’s limits; knowing how to prompt is different from knowing when outputs are wrong.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you’re building software, this is worth five minutes. It tells you why AI won’t make devs redundant — it will make the smart ones unstoppable. Read it to avoid getting left behind or duped by shiny no-code demos.

Context and relevance

The piece sits at the intersection of the AI tooling boom and the future of work. As LLMs (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT) improve, teams will rely more on AI-assisted development. The article is relevant to founders, engineers and product leads deciding hiring, tooling and roadmap priorities: invest in AI-savvy talent and governance to maintain product quality and security.

Author style

Punchy: Kleinveld is direct — this is an urgent nudge for developers and founders to adapt. The take is practical: learn the tools, own the architecture, and keep humans in the loop.