Essay says coding agents end programming as paid logic puzzles
Original title: My obituary for programming
Jeremy Scheff argues programmers once set strategy and timelines because others could not solve even simple coding puzzles.
Simon Willison points to an essay by Jeremy Scheff about what coding agents take from career programmers who liked difficult logic puzzles. Scheff writes that programming paid well because even simple puzzles were beyond most people, and programmers controlled strategy, timelines, and what was possible. The feed excerpt cuts off while contrasting that with programmers who mainly want working systems.
Unconfirmed: The feed excerpt ends mid-sentence, so the rest of Scheff's argument is not available.
- Willison's note is dated 19 October 2026.
- Scheff says harder puzzles paid more than simpler ones.
- The excerpt ends before the comparison is finished.
From the original article
My obituary for programming Jeremy Scheff poignantly captures the key loss caused by coding agents for career programmers who enjoyed the puzzle of developing code: Programming turned into one of the greatest jobs you could imagine. You got paid to work on tricky little logic puzzles. The trickier the puzzle, the more you got paid.
simonwillison.net
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