The technological world is rapidly changing and Google is changing with it. They are in a very strong position, owning the full stack in an industry that is very early and rapidly growing. They won't win all their bets but they have enough coverage for it not to matter.
I disagree with the Apple comparison. Apple haven't done anything successfully innovative for what seems like decades. I do admire their stance on AI though. Not going all in makes them unique.
When I wrote this I overlooked the fact that I was in management for years before, which is possibly the actual real reason I forgot how to code. I've probably also been avoiding coding by hand. That was a choice. When I went back into IC, I probably didn't feel good enough for the seniority level that I was at and rather than working to improve myself, I used AI.
Thanks for your comments. I didn't realise until I read this.
I think you're right and that's probably my mistake. I should be using it as a companion rather than an independent agent. I think enhanced auto complete or function level work is probably appropriate. However what I've been doing is having it build a full application from scratch, to the point where it's impossible to review.