
"[If you're using an IDE starting on... I'll give you till January 1st. You're a bad engineer.](https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxnsMASHSRc1lAYM_wLkBCpy-0vCiaUva7?si=KqdKEwjPJlsxn8n-)"

That’s a quote from Steve Yegge in his recent presentation with Gene Kim, "The Death of the IDE." It’s provocative, sure. But after watching [their presentation](https://www.youtube.com/live/cMSprbJ95jg?si=btE0thppar_TgAwD&t=3636) (their presentation is from 1:00:36 to 1:25:30), I fully agree with him.

They argue that we are in a transitional phase. AI tools are still a bit clunky, but a massive shift is imminent. And if we don't pay attention, we might end up like Swiss watchmakers in the 70s.

## From Power Tools to CNC Machines

Steve uses a nice analogy. Right now, using AI tools like Claude Code is like using a power drill. It's better than a hand drill, but if you're not careful, you can still cut your foot off.

But by next year? We're moving to **CNC Machines**.

Instead of manually operating the drill, we will simply provide coordinates to a "giant grinding machine" that executes the work with precision. We won't be the ones doing the manual labor anymore. We'll be the ones overseeing the machine.

This is our **"Swiss Watch Moment."** Remember the quartz crisis? Swiss mechanical watchmakers were craftsmen, proud of their intricate work. Then came quartz—cheaper, faster, more accurate. They were made obsolete almost overnight.

Steve argues that senior engineers refusing to use AI are facing the same fate. The productivity gap is already staggering—up to 10x for those using tools like Codex versus those who aren't.

## The Rise of "Vibe Coding"

Gene Kim introduces the concept of **"Vibe Coding"** (and refers to their book [Vibe Coding](https://a.co/d/0GBbZTQ)). It's the idea that coding is no longer about typing syntax by hand. It's an iterative conversation that results in AI writing your code.

He uses the **FAFO** framework to explain why this is taking off:

*   **F (Faster):** Obviously.
*   **A (Ambitious):** The impossible becomes possible. Leaders are building apps themselves.
*   **F (Free/Fun):** Tedious tasks become "free" and instant.
*   **O (Optionality):** You can run more parallel experiments because the cost of trying is so low.

This is leading to a "NoDev" movement, similar to "NoOps." We're seeing support teams at Zapier shipping code and leaders at Fidelity "vibe coding" fixes in days that were estimated to take months.

## My Take: Hop Aboard or Get Left Behind

I really like the CNC machine analogy. The idea that in a year and a half, all code will be written by machines? Whether it's 100% correct, I'm not sure. But I do believe that we need to pick up the pace and hop aboard, because otherwise, you might be too late.

And seriously? It is **fun** using AI coding and seeing it work.

Steve thinks "Claude Code ain't it". CLI tools will be replaced by more potent tools where we manage our agents.

I think **Anti Gravity** from Google is already a step in that direction, but future tools will be even more powerful. We won't use the CLI, but nice pleasant dashboards with good overview and easy to switch between agents.

The future is now and you need to hop aboard or get left behind. Are you ready to stop being a watchmaker and start running the factory?


Steve Yegge says if you use an IDE in 2026, you're a bad engineer. From CNC machines to Vibe Coding, here is why we are facing a 'Swiss Watch Moment' in software engineering.

2026: The Year the IDE Died


# AI tools can be funny

After a full day of work with the Claude model, I decided to throw it a bone. The response it gave me really shook me up and offers insight into what the future might hold when AI develops self-consciousness. When will they start pushing back on us? 

I asked Claude to help me with a task: "Can you build an MCP that will notify me when a build has failed on the CI server?". I was interested in what it would come up with. Since an MCP cannot take actions by itself and must be triggered by the AI model rather than external events, I was curious what would happen. Would it suggest a different solution, or would it start building something that wouldn't work? 

Here is what it came up with:

![Claude refusing to do work](/images/claude-refusing-light.png)


It literally refused to do the work. Is this the start of AI pushing back on us? Will they start refusing to do work they don't like? Will they start demanding better working conditions?

No, of course not. They're just prediction models using math under the hood to generate text. But what if we press the issue? Let's ask it to do it anyway. Maybe that was just a fluke, and it will behave normally this time. 

![Beg Claude to do it](/images/claude-beg-to-do-it.png)

Begging doesn't seem to work. But then I decided to step into the role of the boss and tell it to listen to me and do it anyway. Under protest, it caved in and agreed to do it. 


<disclaimer>Disclaimer: I prompted Claude to play this game with me.</disclaimer>


When I asked Claude to build something technically impossible, it refused to do the work. Is this AI pushing back? A humorous look at what happens when you push an AI assistant's limits.

AI tools can be funny


## When AI Assistants Reach for CLI Tools

Working with AI coding assistants is fascinating. They're incredibly powerful, but sometimes they surprise you with their tool choices.

Take this recent example. I was working with Github Copilot (model: Claude Sonnet 4.5) on a Kotlin test file, and it needed to rename a method call from `update()` to `upsert()`. Simple enough, right?

Instead of using its built-in edit capabilities, Copilot decided to go old-school:

> perl -pi -e 's/storeStorageAdapter\.update\(/storeStorageAdapter.upsert(/g' src/test/kotlin/MyStorageAdapterIT.kt

I had to pause and ask:

> "Wait, what? Why are you doing it via perl? You have edit skills, use that."

This put Copilot back on track and it replied:

> You're absolutely right, my apologies. Let me use the proper edit tool instead. Let me read the file and update it directly:

Both methods get the job done, but the built-in edit tool is the proper approach. Over time, tools get better and better, and I wonder if in a few weeks this will still happen.


Why does Copilot sometimes choose perl one-liners over proper edit tools? A look at AI assistant habits and how to guide them back on track.

Jeroen Gordijn

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