{"type":"post","id":"my-obituary-for-programming-analysis-d2d60d","slug":"my-obituary-for-programming-analysis-d2d60d","title":"My obituary for programming","description":"Simon Willison’s commentary relays Jeremy Scheff’s argument that coding agents may change not only how programmers produce software, but also what makes programming rewarding.","retrieval_nugget":"Simon Willison’s commentary relays Jeremy Scheff’s argument that coding agents may change not only how programmers produce software, but also what makes programming rewarding.","published_at":"2026-10-20","updated_at":"2026-10-20","record_date":"2026-10-20","date_kind":"published_at","topics":["coding-agents"],"source_urls":["https://simonwillison.net/2026/Oct/19/my-obituary-for-programming"],"schema_version":"newruntime-agent-readable-v0.2","stable_id":"post:my-obituary-for-programming-analysis-d2d60d","status":"published","visuals":[],"editorial_provenance":{"schema_version":"newruntime-editorial-copy-v1","content_status":"source_grounded_final","final_copy_sha256":"sha256:9b08bf7120afdb0a93ad2ecd5e0d8a0e53daf8b79a66becd628ab41107ef6dfe","reviewed_at":"2026-10-20T12:01:20.354Z","source_evidence_count":1,"verified_claim_count":2,"site_analysis_schema_version":"newruntime-site-analysis-v1","site_object_kind":"field_note","observed_fact_count":2,"implication_count":1,"watch_condition_count":1,"related_record_count":0},"analysis":{"schema_version":"newruntime-site-analysis-v1","object_kind":"field_note","thesis":"Coding agents can reduce the direct problem-solving work that some programmers value, even when they help others build systems more easily.","observed_facts":[{"text":"Willison quotes Scheff describing programming as solving logic puzzles, choosing strategy and timelines, and deciding what was possible.","source_urls":["https://simonwillison.net/2026/Oct/19/my-obituary-for-programming"]},{"text":"Willison contrasts programmers who mainly enjoy building working systems with those for whom directly solving the problems is a major part of the enjoyment.","source_urls":["https://simonwillison.net/2026/Oct/19/my-obituary-for-programming"]}],"mechanism":"When an agent performs more of the implementation, it can leave the goal and finished system intact while shifting or removing the puzzle-solving steps that supplied satisfaction. This is a proposed mechanism in commentary, not a measured outcome.","why_now":"Coding agents make the division between specifying a result and doing the work toward it newly salient for programming careers.","implications":["Teams evaluating agent adoption should consider whether changed task composition affects the work developers find meaningful, not only whether systems get built faster."],"evidence_boundary":"The source is commentary quoting an essay; it provides no survey, employment data, or evidence about how prevalent these reactions are.","watch_conditions":["Look for broader developer accounts or research that tests whether agent-assisted work changes reported job satisfaction or the kinds of tasks people perform."],"related_records":[],"new_branch_reason":"This starts a distinct analytical record because no prior New Runtime record is supplied; the related earlier discussion points concern coding-agent practice, while this source centers on the subjective value of the work."},"editor":{"role":"editor","name":"Andrey Reshetnikov","profile":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md","profile_json":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json","same_as":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshetnikov1/","https://t.me/lapetuse"]},"routes":{"html":"https://newruntime.com/posts/my-obituary-for-programming-analysis-d2d60d/","markdown":"https://newruntime.com/posts/my-obituary-for-programming-analysis-d2d60d.md","json":"https://newruntime.com/posts/my-obituary-for-programming-analysis-d2d60d.json"},"next_reads":[{"type":"topic","path":"/topics/coding-agents/","url":"https://newruntime.com/topics/coding-agents/","title":"Coding Agents","reason":"Explore the coding-agents topic hub.","media_type":"text/html","markdown_url":"https://newruntime.com/topics/coding-agents.md","json_url":"https://newruntime.com/topics/coding-agents.json"},{"type":"collection","path":"/posts/","url":"https://newruntime.com/posts/","title":"Field Notes","reason":"Open the latest editorial analysis.","media_type":"text/html","json_url":"https://newruntime.com/posts.json"},{"type":"collection","path":"/source-ledger.json","url":"https://newruntime.com/source-ledger.json","title":"Source Ledger","reason":"Inspect the public source evidence graph.","media_type":"application/json"}]}