Bill Gates, who built Microsoft on code, admits an AI tool now codes better than him
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says technology has truly stunned him only three times in his life: the graphical user interface in 1980, ChatGPT's demo in 2022, and Anthropic's Claude Code this year. Calling coding the subject he knows best, Gates admitted the AI coding tool is now better than him in a meaningful sense. He also expects software engineering jobs to be among the first reshaped by…
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has admitted that AI has surpassed him in an area he once considered his own specialty: coding. This revelation came as Gates examined Anthropic's AI coding tool, Claude Code.
Gates, who co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen, has long been a pioneer in software development. However, he expressed surprise at the capabilities of Claude Code, stating that witnessing its performance was like "What the hell?"
In a recent interview, Gates explained that coding was the subject he knew best, but he now finds himself being outdone by an AI tool designed for the very task he excelled at. This marked the third time Gates has been stunned by technology - the other two instances being the introduction of graphical user interfaces in 1980 and the unveiling of ChatGPT in 2022.
In a nearly 6,000-word essay on his blog, Gates Notes, Gates warned that the transition to AI will be one of the most turbulent periods in human history, noting that the world is not adequately preparing for this shift. He expects AI to first impact software engineering jobs, which he listed alongside sales, customer support, and paralegal work as fields likely to be disrupted.
Despite the shock of seeing his own skill surpassed, Gates acknowledged that as the founder of a software company, the admission holds particular weight. He noted that while the demand for software may increase as coding becomes cheaper, some tasks, particularly design, are still better suited for human expertise.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
