The use of artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a necessity in the software industry. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase was one of the companies that took the most drastic steps in this transformation. The company fired engineers who refused to use AI-powered coding tools.

Coinbase showed no mercy to AI-opposed developers

According to Stack Overflow data, 84% of developers are either using or considering using AI tools. Another study indicates that 40% of enterprise software will be developed with AI-powered techniques by 2028. All this data demonstrates that AI is no longer a choice in the software world, but an inevitable tool. Recent developments at Coinbase further demonstrate this.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced that, starting next month, more than half of the company’s code will be generated by AI. Armstrong stated that those who fail to adapt to this change have no place at the company.

Speaking on a podcast, Armstrong said he fired engineers who refused to use tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor. He explained that he informed the entire engineering team via Slack that these tools were mandatory and that he personally met with those who refused. Armstrong stated that those who could not provide a valid excuse, such as travel, were terminated.

This aggressive transformation at Coinbase has sparked backlash regarding both its management style and security concerns. The company operates in a security-critical field like the cryptocurrency market. Despite this, such heavy reliance on AI is considered a risky decision.

Coinbase suffered a serious data breach just last May, with the data of approximately 70,000 customers leaked. The widespread adoption of AI now raises concerns that it will exacerbate existing security risks.

Despite all the criticism, Coinbase management maintains that AI-written code undergoes comprehensive review processes and that this requirement is not mandatory for every unit.