AI Could Replace Coding Jobs Within a Year, Warns Anthropic CEO; Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu Urges Caution

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way software is built, and some of the biggest names in technology now believe the shift could dramatically change the future of programming jobs. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has issued a stark warning, suggesting that traditional software engineering roles could become obsolete within the next 12 months as AI systems increasingly take over coding work.

His remarks, made during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, have sparked widespread debate across the tech industry. While some see the claim as exaggerated, others — including Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu — believe it deserves serious attention.

Amodei pointed out that AI has already moved beyond being just a productivity booster. Instead of merely assisting developers, modern systems are beginning to perform entire tasks independently. Software development, he explained, is one of the most visible examples of this change.

At Anthropic itself, the workflow has already evolved. Engineers are no longer writing code line by line. Instead, they rely on AI tools to generate large portions of their programs, stepping in mainly to refine and supervise the output. “I have engineering leads who have basically said to me, 'I don't write any code anymore. I just let Opus do the work and I edit it,” he said.

This growing dependence on AI isn’t limited to Anthropic. Major tech companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft are also integrating AI systems to build and maintain their codebases. As these tools become faster and more accurate, automation is expected to expand further, reducing the need for large human teams.

Reacting to a viral clip of Amodei’s comments on social media platform X, Sridhar Vembu echoed the concerns. While not sounding alarmist, he stressed that the industry should take the warning seriously, especially considering the source. “We better pay attention to him because he has the best coding tool in the world,” Vembu wrote.

Beyond software engineering, Amodei believes the implications of AI adoption could ripple across industries. He warned that many professions may experience significant disruption as intelligent systems become capable of handling more complex, cognitive tasks. “We basically have a Moore’s Law for intelligence where the model is getting more and more cognitively capable every few months,” he said at Davos.

The rapid pace of progress, he argues, could shrink the need for traditional programming roles and even eliminate certain job categories altogether.

For engineers and tech professionals, the message is clear: the nature of work is changing. Rather than replacing humans entirely, AI may push them toward roles focused on oversight, strategy and creativity. Still, the speed of transformation suggests that adapting quickly will be crucial.

Whether the timeline is truly as short as a year remains uncertain, but one thing is undeniable — AI is already reshaping the foundations of software development.