Spotify Reveals AI Coding Reality: “Our Best Developers Don’t Write Code Anymore”

Spotify CEO Gustav Söderström’s revelation during the February 14th Q4 earnings call vividly illustrates the reality of software development in the AI era.

The Shocking Statement: “Haven’t Written a Single Line of Code”

“When I speak to my most senior engineers — the best developers we have — they actually say that they haven’t written a single line of code since December. They actually only generate code and supervise it.”

Söderström characterized this as a “positive development” and emphasized Spotify’s commitment to leading the change:

“There is going to have to be a lot of change in these tech companies if you want to stay competitive, and we are absolutely hell-bent on leading that change. It will be painful for many companies, because engineering practices, product practices, and design practices will change.”

The Pursuit of Efficiency and “Infinite Software Production”

Söderström predicts that AI will dramatically increase software production volume, with the limiting factor becoming “the amount of change that consumers are comfortable with.”

This statement reveals that AI coding agents are no longer mere auxiliary tools but transformative forces reshaping the entire development process.

Engineers’ Reality: The Escalation of “AI Fatigue”

However, frontline engineers tell a different story.

Software engineer Siddhant Khare, in a viral essay published this week, argued that “AI is only making my job harder”:

“Every time it feels like you are a judge at an assembly line and that assembly line is never-ending, you just keep stamping those PRs [pull requests].”

What is AI Fatigue?

AI fatigue isn’t a dislike of AI. It’s a new reality:

• Engineers no longer need to write code
• Instead, they review and fix massive amounts of AI-generated code
• The rate feels unsustainable to many engineers

In other words, AI hasn’t made coding “easier”—it has fundamentally changed the nature of the work.

Polarized Perspectives: Does AI Replace or Augment Jobs?

Two major camps exist regarding labor in the AI era:

1. Replacement: AI will supplant humans

• Predicts massive unemployment
• Some suggest half of engineers will be laid off

2. Augmentation: AI is merely an efficiency tool

• Enables more work in less time
• Concerns are overblown

However, a third perspective is emerging:

3. Transformation: AI changes the nature of work

• From writing code to reviewing code
• “AI fatigue” presents new challenges
• Sustainable work practices need redesign

Developers in the Claude Sonnet 4.6 Era

Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.6, released February 17th, delivers Opus-level performance at Sonnet prices with computer use capabilities reaching human-level proficiency.

With such high-performance AI coding agents proliferating, Spotify’s situation is likely to replicate across other companies.

Challenges Ahead

1. Managing Review Load

   • Quality assurance for AI-generated code
   • Establishing efficient review processes

2. Redefining Engineering Skills

   • From coding ability to supervision capability
   • Increased importance of architecture design and quality management

3. Organizational Culture Adaptation

   • “Things you build now may be useless in a month”
   • Agile decision-making and risk tolerance

Conclusion: Chaos and Opportunity in Transition

Söderström’s statement reveals that the software development industry is “in the middle of the change.”

• Corporate perspective: Efficiency, production volume, competitiveness
• Engineer perspective: Sustainability, work quality, AI fatigue

Bridging this gap will determine the success of software development in the AI era.

AI coding agents are no longer a “use it or don’t” choice. The questions now are “how to master them” and “how to redesign our work practices.”

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Sources:

• Business Insider: Spotify’s top developers haven’t written code since December
• Spotify Q4 2025 Earnings Call
• The Verge: AI Coverage