{
  "id": 10188090,
  "title": "Ruby on Rails creator declares 'pencils down' on handwritten code",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/ruby-on-rails-creator-declares-pencils-down-on-handwritten-code",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-27T10:04:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/ruby-on-rails-creator-no-more-handwritten-code-2026-9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of the popular Ruby on Rails webapp framework, has announced that his software company 37signals has stopped writing code by hand. During his keynote at Rails World, Hansson stated that engineers at 37signals only hand-write code when an AI agent is unable to produce the desired result. The founder of the company, known as DHH, said this represents a recognition of the current trend in coding. According to a survey of over 150 software engineers, nearly half feel they are keeping up with AI coding tools, while 17.5% have opted out of using them. Hansson urged engineers to focus on how to best use AI, emphasizing that it should be one of their top priorities. During the keynote, Hansson asked how many developers still write a significant amount of code by hand, reporting that only about five people raised their hands.",
  "summary": "David Heinemeier Hansson said his software firm was \"done writing code by hand.\" His company will only hand-write code when an AI agent can't.",
  "key_points": [
    "David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails, announced 37signals stops hand-writing code",
    "Engineers at 37signals only hand-write code when AI fails to produce desired results",
    "Survey shows 50% of software engineers feel they are keeping up with AI coding tools"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}