> but do people realize that code is just a means to an end?
yes and an end has to be worth the means. people disagree about whether it is worth it. some people see a benefit using LLMs and agents to such a degree they're willing to look past the noise and water and air pollution produced by the unprecedented data center buildout that we've seen over the past few years, or the unprecedented increase in things like spam and deepfakes, or the way that it is decimating the job market + funnel, or the way that it reinforces existing antisocial incentives in society. some don't/aren't.
anthropic rumored to be having a profitable quarter is a ruse to ready them up for IPO or otherwise. they could've had a profitable quarter at any point in their history but they only do so if they stop making models; this has been established. they make a model, they sell inference and make a ton of money, they train the next model at 10x the cost, they sell inference and make a ton of money, they train the next model at 10x the cost, repeat
> I would still recommend not putting all your eggs in one basket just yet because [..] there will still be some value in knowing how systems work, both to differentiate yourself from other developers career-wise, and as part of effective LLM steering.
the thesis is that investing in your skills outside of LLMs pays dividends whether you decide to apply those skills to LLMs or not, plus spending time bonding with your fellow engineers is good for you too. so I'm sure Zig will be doing great in a few years