Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has shared his concerns about how artificial intelligence (AI) can change the structure of software teams. Sharing a post on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), Vembu said AI is making senior software architects more productive, but at the same time it is also reducing the need for junior engineers. This change, he warns, could affect the way future architects are trained. In the post, Sridhar Vembu further writes that today’s senior architects need to understand both the technical requirements and the entire technology to guide AI tools effectively and perfect their production. “AI makes senior architects more productive and reduces the need for junior engineers,” he writes in the post, adding: “The architect needs to have a good understanding of the requirements and technology to be able to guide the AI and tune its performance.”“But if we don’t have young engineers, we won’t be able to train the next generation of architects. After all, how can someone become a software architect without first being a young engineer? I’m still thinking about how this is solved,” he adds.Vembu’s comments reflect a broader debate in the tech sector, where AI tools such as coding assistants and autonomous agents are increasingly taking on tasks that were traditionally assigned to young engineers. Experts have raised concerns about the potential for AI to reshape the way technical careers begin.
Sridhar Vembu’s post sparks discussion
Vembu’s post has sparked debate among engineers and social media users. In response to his post, one user writes: “We still have some programmers who understand assembly languages. I think there will always be some engineers who want to dig deeper. I think demand will play its part.” “Change the career ladder, not the workforce. Keep young people, but redefine their role: AI-enhanced engineers, not manual coders. Get young people into design, reviews, systems thinking and trade-off discussions earlier, while AI takes care of the standard stuff,” another suggested. “With AI, all the unsolved problems of the intermittent step become viable business problems. Thus, new markets are opened for entrepreneurs for those problems of the intermittent step. This is how we will see waves of new-age entrepreneurs with many solopreneurs,” commented a third user.
