Microsoft’s CPO Aparna Chennapragada doesn’t buy the idea that coding is on its way out.
“If anything, I think we’ve always had higher and higher layers of abstraction in programming,” she added.
“Most of us don’t even program in C, and then you’re kind of higher and higher layers of abstraction.
“In some sense, if you look at it, there’s going to be a supply of ideas, a massive increase in supply of ideas in prototypes, which is great,” Chennapragada said.
“In a world where the supply of ideas, supply of prototypes becomes even more like an order of magnitude higher, you’d have to think about, ‘What is the editing function here?'”
The CPO of Microsoft, Aparna Chennapragada, disagrees that coding is going extinct.
“A lot of people think about, ‘Oh, don’t bother studying computer science or the coding is dead,’ and I just fundamentally disagree,” Chennapragada, the chief product officer of experiences and devices for the tech giant, stated on “Lenny’s Podcast.”. “..”.
“If anything,” she continued, “I believe that programming has always had progressively more complex layers of abstraction.
Chennapragada thinks AI merely adds another layer of abstraction to the current programming process, despite concerns that it may eventually make software engineers obsolete or at the very least significantly reduce the number of job openings in the field.
She stated, “We no longer program in assembly.”. “There are more and more layers of abstraction, and the majority of us don’t even program in C. In my opinion, these will be methods of instructing the computer, correct? The only difference is that they will be at a far higher level of abstraction, which is fantastic. It makes things more democratic. “..”.
Chennapragada said that although the role itself was unlikely to vanish, it was possible that in the future we would think of software engineers more as software operators.
“There’ll be an order of magnitude more software operators,” she stated. “Instead of ‘SWEs,’ we might come up with ‘SOs,’ but that doesn’t mean you don’t understand computer science; it’s a mental model and a way of thinking. Therefore, I vehemently disagree with the assertion that coding is no longer relevant. “.”.
According to Chennapragada, project managers will survive Big Tech’s “great flattening,” albeit with altered responsibilities, just like many other middle managers. “Taste will be more important than ever,” she stated.
Chennapragada described it as follows: “If you look at it, there’s going to be a supply of ideas, a massive increase in supply of ideas in prototypes, which is great.”. It raises the ceiling in addition to the floor. How, in a way, do you make a statement during these moments when you need to ensure that this stands out from the crowd?
A Business Insider request for comment from Chennapragada was not answered.
According to her, AI makes it easier than ever to bring an idea to life, so project managers will need to hone what Chennapragada refers to as “the taste-making and the editing” instincts in order to sort through the deluge of ideas.
“In a world where the supply of prototypes and ideas is even more abundant, you would have to ask yourself, ‘What is the editing function here?'” she said.
Chennapragada claims that she has noticed less of an impulse to automatically seek approval from a project manager because it is so much simpler to simply get started. She feels that even though final approval will be more crucial than ever, PMs must earn the authority to make decisions.
“I am noticing an intriguing side effect in startups that I advise, as well as in companies that I advise, where there used to be more gatekeeping. I would say, ‘Oh, we should ask the product leader what they think,'” Chennapragada stated. “Once more, that editing function has a role, but you must earn it right now. “..”.
