Is learning to code still worth it in 2026 — or has AI and vibe coding made programming obsolete?

Two veteran engineers who helped build the modern internet settle the debate. Keith Adams (built the HHVM JIT compiler at Facebook, employee ~80 at VMware, early Slack engineer) and Julien Verlaguet (CEO of Skip Labs) share their unfiltered take on whether you should still learn to code — or if vibe coding with LLMs is enough.

In this episode:
🖥️ How Keith and Julien both learned to code at age 6-8 — on an Apple IIe and an Amstrad
🧠 Why having a "mental model of the machine" matters more than ever
🤖 Why LLMs are "amplifiers for experts" — not replacements for novices
💥 The problem with vibe coding: "you still have to read the code"
🧘 Why programming teaches humility (the machine tells you you're wrong — every day)
🎓 The massive challenge facing CS educators in the AI era
🔮 Julien's "Turing Test" for when AI actually replaces programmersThe verdict: "Should you learn to code? My god, yes. First of all, because it's wonderful. Secondly, because it's going to make you better at your software engineering job — which isn't going anywhere."


⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 — The TLDR: Yes, you still need to learn to code
2:48 — Keith's origin story: an Apple IIe at age 6
4:23 — Julien's origin story: copying games from an Amstrad manual
25:00 — Why LLMs amplify experts but don't replace them
30:20 — The "mental model of the machine" — and why it's the key skill
39:00 — Programming teaches humility (and it's healthy)
44:12 — Vibe coding: what it is and why it fails
51:54 — Julien's AI Turing Test for programmers
1:01:00 — The final verdict: learn to code, it's "f***ing awesome"


🎧 Full episodes on YouTube + your favorite podcast app.
@ComputersCoffeeandBeer

📩 For Business Inquiries: don.broida@gmail.com


=============================

Channel About:

Computers, Coffee, & Beer is hosted by Keith Adams and Julien Verlaguet — two engineers who helped shape the modern internet and have the war stories to prove it.

Keith built the HHVM JIT compiler at Facebook, helped virtualize the world at VMware (employee ~80), and went on to Slack before founding Pebblebed, an early-stage VC firm for technically ambitious founders.

Julien created the Hack programming language, spent years writing safety-critical compiler software for Airbus and nuclear plants, and now runs Skip Labs.

Together they dig into the systems, languages, and decisions behind the technology that actually runs the world — told by two people who were in the room when it happened.

=============================
#learntocode #ai #vibecoding #coding #softwareengineering #aicoding #programming #techpodcast #ShouldYouLearnToCode