Senko Rašić · 2026-08-08 · notable
Senko Rašić — 'Code was never the hard part' is an insult to programmers
Senko Rašić pushes back on the line that coding is the easy part of software work. His post hit 912 points and 559 comments on Hacker News, making it the biggest AI-and-programming debate of the week.
A 25-year developer argues the 'coding is easy, deciding what to build is hard' line insults the profession — and 559 HN comments followed.
What is it?
Senko Rašić's post, published 2026-08-08, answers a claim that spread as AI coding tools got good: that code was never the hard part, and the real work is figuring out what to build. Rašić calls that framing an insult to programmers and takes it apart point by point.
How does it work?
The argument runs through a set of questions. If writing code were easy, Rašić asks, why the high salaries, the hard interviews, and the shelves of computer-science textbooks? He also disputes that product decisions are obviously harder, and calls the split between technical skill and customer empathy a false choice — both matter.
Why does it matter?
Rašić does not tell developers to dismiss AI. He argues the opposite: the industry is being disrupted, and engineers stay responsible for understanding their tools and their decisions. With 912 points and 559 comments on Hacker News, the post became the week's main venue for that argument.
Who is it for?
software engineers, engineering managers