Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, Aparna Chennapragada, has defended the importance of computer science education despite the company’s recent layoffs affecting over 2,000 software engineers. Chennapragada argues that AI represents another layer of abstraction in programming evolution, transforming roles into ‘software operators’ rather than eliminating them.
The tech giant eliminated 6,000 positions recently, with software engineers bearing the brunt of the cuts. However, Chennapragada ‘fundamentally disagrees’ with the notion that people shouldn’t study computer science. She believes that instead of eliminating coding careers, AI will create new roles such as ‘software operators’ who will work with AI-generated code.
Chennapragada explained that the evolution of programming languages has always involved moving to higher layers of abstraction. ‘We don’t program in assembly anymore. Most of us don’t even program in C,’ she said, suggesting that engineers might become ‘software operators’ instead.
The company’s investment in AI is significant, with CEO Satya Nadella revealing that AI now writes up to 30% of code in some Microsoft projects. Chennapragada expects project managers to adapt to new responsibilities focused on ‘taste-making and editing’ as AI generates more ideas and prototypes.
Microsoft has allocated approximately $80 billion for AI infrastructure spending this fiscal year. The company’s focus on AI comes as it scrutinizes costs through workforce reductions. Chennapragada’s comments take on new significance following Microsoft’s second-largest layoff in its history.
Impact on Software Development
The layoffs disproportionately affected coding professionals, with over 40% of the approximately 2,000 Washington state positions eliminated belonging to software engineers. Project management roles accounted for nearly 30% of the cuts in the state.
Future of Coding Careers
Chennapragada predicts that there will be ‘an order of magnitude more software operators.’ She emphasized that this doesn’t mean people won’t need to understand computer science. ‘Instead of ‘Cs,’ maybe we’ll have ‘SOs,’ but that doesn’t mean you don’t understand computer science,’ she said.
The article was originally reported by TOI Tech Desk, a team of journalists dedicated to delivering the latest technology news.
