{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@id": "https://aggr.aymericbeaumet.com/items/ghuntley-com/2026-03-12-a-couple-of-days-ago-i-sat-down-with-vivek-bharathi-and/#webpage", "@type": [ "WebPage", "ArchiveComponent" ], "articleBody": "By [Geoffrey Huntley](https://ghuntley.com/author/ghuntley/) in [AI](https://ghuntley.com/tag/ai/) — 13 Mar 2026\n\n![A couple of days ago, I sat down with Vivek Bharathi and dumped my brains. Here's the interview...](https://storage.ghost.io/c/06/e5/06e5d12b-0328-469d-a0d0-3a0f0ba34c46/content/images/size/w2000/2026/03/download--1-.jpeg)\n\n0:00\n\n/11:14\n\n![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/06/e5/06e5d12b-0328-469d-a0d0-3a0f0ba34c46/content/media/2026/03/AI-Expert--30----Rationalizing--Business-Moat-and--technical-Talent-for--agenticai-era--RIs6wikZykI-_thumb.jpg)\n\nBelow you'll find an AI transcription of everything we riffed about.\n\nKey distinction: Software Development vs. Software Engineering:\n\n- Software development (typing code, prompting LLMs) is accelerating massively and becoming ubiquitous—anyone (e.g., a hairdresser using Cursor) can now be a \"developer\" due to abundant AI knowledge/tools.\\\n- Software engineering remains essential and is evolving: engineers now act like locomotive engineers — keeping the \"train\" on tracks by designing safe, reliable systems/automations rather than working \"in\" the business (manual coding).\\\n- Shift focus to designing loops, automations, safety mechanisms (e.g., sandboxing, credential management, security), risk engineering, and responsible AI utilization.\n\n## Implications for professionals:\n\n- If your identity is tied to being a traditional \"software developer\" (keyboard typing), it's a tough time—prompting for outcomes is the new norm.\n- If your employer bans AI tools, leave immediately: it's business suicide to ignore AI, while staying risks employability suicide as the market for manual coders shrinks rapidly.\n- Engineers should prioritize raw technical/cognitive skills → engineer away concerns (e.g., replace binary code reviews with risk-based approaches, feature flags, constrained blast radius, auto-migrations).\n\n## Open source is \"dead\" (or greatly diminished):\n\n- Traditional open-source libraries existed to ease hiring and sharing reusable code.\n- Now, with AI generation, there's little point: generating code avoids maintainer burnout, GitHub issue delays, abandoned projects, supply-chain attacks (e.g., npm takeovers), and Dependabot update toil.\n- Better to generate first-party code for faster evolution, full control, and no human \"tool calls\" (which disqualifies true AGI-like autonomy).\n- Exceptions: highly sensitive areas like PKI/SSL where generation isn't appropriate.\n\n## Broader industry shifts in an abundance era:\n\n- Software moves from scarcity (differentiated libraries, hard-to-replicate tech) to abundance (easy generation/reimplementation).\\\n- Many software products become hyper-commodity (like utilities: electricity, web hosting) — easily screenshot + reimplemented via AI (e.g., Claude).\n\n### Vendor lock-in and switching costs vanish (e.g., auto-migrating databases/apps).\n\n- True moats now lie in non-technical areas: contracts, relationships, handshakes, stakes, distribution, taste/judgment — the \"hard things of business.\"\n- Unit economics of software have fundamentally changed → questions if software remains investable (VCs unsure about moats, fundraising challenges).\n\n> Future: hyper-personalized software; old models of building/scaling via scarcity are disrupted.\n\n### Closing advice\n\n- Stay relevant by running fast, staying curious, and adapting to the \"brave new world.\"\n\nps. this interview is also available:\n\n- on youtube at [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMVyUu-GTpU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMVyUu-GTpU&ref=ghuntley.com)\n- X - [https://x.com/GeoffreyHuntley/status/2032163849067987280](https://x.com/GeoffreyHuntley/status/2032163849067987280?ref=ghuntley.com)\n- LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geoffreyhuntley_a-couple-of-days-ago-i-sat-down-with-vivek-activity-7437931906714791938-4_75](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geoffreyhuntley_a-couple-of-days-ago-i-sat-down-with-vivek-activity-7437931906714791938-4_75?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABQKuUB2AJ059keUcRUVLbtmoa6miLVlTI)\n\n### p.p.s don't miss out on free lifetime access\n\nJoin thousands getting premium insights delivered weekly. **Subscribe now and you'll never pay** - even when I start charging new subscribers. This free-for-life offer won't last forever.\n", "authors": [ "Geoffrey Huntley" ], "captured_at": "2026-09-27T19:29:15.293681927+00:00", "category": "programming", "content_html": "

By Geoffrey Huntley in AI — 13 Mar 2026

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\"A

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0:00

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/11:14

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\"\"

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Below you'll find an AI transcription of everything we riffed about.

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Key distinction: Software Development vs. Software Engineering:

\n\n

Implications for professionals:

\n\n

Open source is "dead" (or greatly diminished):

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Broader industry shifts in an abundance era:

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Vendor lock-in and switching costs vanish (e.g., auto-migrating databases/apps).

\n\n
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Future: hyper-personalized software; old models of building/scaling via scarcity are disrupted.

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Closing advice

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ps. this interview is also available:

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p.p.s don't miss out on free lifetime access

\n

Join thousands getting premium insights delivered weekly. Subscribe now and you'll never pay - even when I start charging new subscribers. This free-for-life offer won't last forever.

\n", "content_markdown": "By [Geoffrey Huntley](https://ghuntley.com/author/ghuntley/) in [AI](https://ghuntley.com/tag/ai/) — 13 Mar 2026\n\n![A couple of days ago, I sat down with Vivek Bharathi and dumped my brains. Here's the interview...](https://storage.ghost.io/c/06/e5/06e5d12b-0328-469d-a0d0-3a0f0ba34c46/content/images/size/w2000/2026/03/download--1-.jpeg)\n\n0:00\n\n/11:14\n\n![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/06/e5/06e5d12b-0328-469d-a0d0-3a0f0ba34c46/content/media/2026/03/AI-Expert--30----Rationalizing--Business-Moat-and--technical-Talent-for--agenticai-era--RIs6wikZykI-_thumb.jpg)\n\nBelow you'll find an AI transcription of everything we riffed about.\n\nKey distinction: Software Development vs. Software Engineering:\n\n- Software development (typing code, prompting LLMs) is accelerating massively and becoming ubiquitous—anyone (e.g., a hairdresser using Cursor) can now be a \"developer\" due to abundant AI knowledge/tools.\\\n- Software engineering remains essential and is evolving: engineers now act like locomotive engineers — keeping the \"train\" on tracks by designing safe, reliable systems/automations rather than working \"in\" the business (manual coding).\\\n- Shift focus to designing loops, automations, safety mechanisms (e.g., sandboxing, credential management, security), risk engineering, and responsible AI utilization.\n\n## Implications for professionals:\n\n- If your identity is tied to being a traditional \"software developer\" (keyboard typing), it's a tough time—prompting for outcomes is the new norm.\n- If your employer bans AI tools, leave immediately: it's business suicide to ignore AI, while staying risks employability suicide as the market for manual coders shrinks rapidly.\n- Engineers should prioritize raw technical/cognitive skills → engineer away concerns (e.g., replace binary code reviews with risk-based approaches, feature flags, constrained blast radius, auto-migrations).\n\n## Open source is \"dead\" (or greatly diminished):\n\n- Traditional open-source libraries existed to ease hiring and sharing reusable code.\n- Now, with AI generation, there's little point: generating code avoids maintainer burnout, GitHub issue delays, abandoned projects, supply-chain attacks (e.g., npm takeovers), and Dependabot update toil.\n- Better to generate first-party code for faster evolution, full control, and no human \"tool calls\" (which disqualifies true AGI-like autonomy).\n- Exceptions: highly sensitive areas like PKI/SSL where generation isn't appropriate.\n\n## Broader industry shifts in an abundance era:\n\n- Software moves from scarcity (differentiated libraries, hard-to-replicate tech) to abundance (easy generation/reimplementation).\\\n- Many software products become hyper-commodity (like utilities: electricity, web hosting) — easily screenshot + reimplemented via AI (e.g., Claude).\n\n### Vendor lock-in and switching costs vanish (e.g., auto-migrating databases/apps).\n\n- True moats now lie in non-technical areas: contracts, relationships, handshakes, stakes, distribution, taste/judgment — the \"hard things of business.\"\n- Unit economics of software have fundamentally changed → questions if software remains investable (VCs unsure about moats, fundraising challenges).\n\n> Future: hyper-personalized software; old models of building/scaling via scarcity are disrupted.\n\n### Closing advice\n\n- Stay relevant by running fast, staying curious, and adapting to the \"brave new world.\"\n\nps. this interview is also available:\n\n- on youtube at [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMVyUu-GTpU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMVyUu-GTpU&ref=ghuntley.com)\n- X - [https://x.com/GeoffreyHuntley/status/2032163849067987280](https://x.com/GeoffreyHuntley/status/2032163849067987280?ref=ghuntley.com)\n- LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geoffreyhuntley_a-couple-of-days-ago-i-sat-down-with-vivek-activity-7437931906714791938-4_75](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geoffreyhuntley_a-couple-of-days-ago-i-sat-down-with-vivek-activity-7437931906714791938-4_75?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABQKuUB2AJ059keUcRUVLbtmoa6miLVlTI)\n\n### p.p.s don't miss out on free lifetime access\n\nJoin thousands getting premium insights delivered weekly. **Subscribe now and you'll never pay** - even when I start charging new subscribers. This free-for-life offer won't last forever.\n", "dateCreated": "2026-09-27T19:29:15.293681927+00:00", "date_created": "2026-03-12T18:55:07+00:00", "date_modified": "2026-03-12T18:55:07+00:00", "date_published": "2026-03-12T18:55:07+00:00", "description": "Below you'll find an AI transcription of everything we riffed about. 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