Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield has sparked controversy by asserting that artificial intelligence (AI) will soon surpass human software engineers, rendering their jobs obsolete.
Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield has sparked controversy by asserting that artificial intelligence (AI) will soon surpass human software engineers, rendering their jobs obsolete.
In a bold statement shared on X over the weekend, the Y Combinator partner declared that AI is poised to become “provably and obviously better at basically every facet” of coding, igniting a firestorm of reactions online.
According to a report by Finextra, Blomfield likened software engineers to “highly-paid farmers, tending their crops by hand,” suggesting that AI represents a revolutionary “combine harvester” that will vastly increase productivity while drastically reducing the need for human coders.
“The world is going have a lot more food and a lot fewer farmers in very short order,” he wrote.
The post triggered a flood of responses, with some applauding his vision and others—particularly software engineers—fiercely disputing the notion that their skills could be so easily replaced.
In a follow-up blog post, Blomfield doubled down on his stance, urging skeptics to reconsider their views in light of rapid advancements in AI tools.
“People who tried and dismissed AI coding products even six months ago need to re-evaluate their assumptions,” he wrote.
“Last month, I probably spent 80-100 hours using these tools. They are genuinely astonishing.” He argued that the technology’s progress is so significant that it demands a fresh perspective.
Blomfield envisions a future where software teams could consist entirely of AI agents, at least in some cases. “Of course there will be human review of and guidance of these iterations, at least at first,” he noted.
“But at some point in the next five years, I expect some (obviously not all) coding teams to be entirely self-directing.”
He also predicted that handwriting code might eventually become a nostalgic pastime, akin to driving vintage cars for enjoyment.
The implications extend far beyond software engineering, according to Blomfield, who sees it as merely the “canary in the coal mine.”
He warned that professions like medicine, law, accounting, auditing, architecture, and engineering could also face disruption as AI continues to evolve.
