The traditional role of software developers is on the cusp of a significant transformation, according to Varun Mohan, CEO of Windsurf. In a recent Y Combinator podcast, Mohan stated that AI is about to ‘democratize’ software creation, effectively broadening the definition of a developer into what he calls a ‘builder’. This shift could make engineering more akin to a research-driven culture, where the focus moves from traditional coding to testing bold ideas and hypotheses.
Mohan, who co-founded Windsurf (formerly Codeium) in 2021, has been at the forefront of AI-powered coding development tools. Windsurf has raised $243 million in VC funding and is reportedly in talks to be acquired by OpenAI for around $3 billion. Before Windsurf, Mohan worked as a tech lead manager at Nuro, an AI robotics company, and had previous experience as a software engineer.
The concept of ‘vibe coding’, coined by OpenAI cofounder Andrej Karpathy in February, refers to the process of using AI prompts to write code, allowing developers to ‘fully give in to the vibes’ and essentially forget about the code itself. Mohan believes this approach will become increasingly capable, supercharging every stage of software development – from writing and reviewing to testing, debugging, and designing code.
As AI takes over repetitive tasks like boilerplate coding, developers will be freed to focus on more critical aspects of product development. Mohan suggests that this change will alter what startups look for when hiring engineers, emphasizing the need for individuals with ‘really high agency that are willing to be wrong and bold’. The focus should no longer be on hiring engineers to quickly write boilerplate code, as AI can handle such tasks efficiently.
Mohan envisions a future where people might ask their AI assistants to build custom tools tailored to their specific needs, which they can then continue to tweak over time. In this scenario, ‘effectively everyone is building but people don’t know what they’re building is software,’ Mohan said. This democratization of software creation could lead to a significant shift in how products are developed and improved, with engineering becoming more about testing hypotheses and gathering user feedback.
The rise of vibe coding has already sparked debate among engineers and investors about the future of software development and the importance of technical skills for startup founders. As Mohan puts it, ‘AI is going to be adding 10 times the amount of leverage very shortly. It’s going to happen much more quickly than people imagine.’
