Ruby on Rails creator declares 'pencils down' on handwritten code (www.businessinsider.com)

David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails, has declared an end to handwritten coding at his company, 37signals, during his keynote at Rails World. He emphasized that the coding process has shifted dramatically, thanks to advancements in AI tools like OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code, which are now capable of generating code with minimal human input. Hansson indicated that while handwritten code may still be necessary in exceptional circumstances—such as when AI fails to meet engineers' expectations—it is no longer the norm. This announcement is significant for the AI/ML community, reflecting a broader trend where AI is taking a central role in software development. Hansson's comments highlight the varying responses among developers to this technological shift: while many are energized by the capabilities of AI, others report feelings of isolation and frustration. As the industry grapples with how to leverage AI's advantages effectively, Hansson stresses that the key question now is how to maximize the benefits of AI-driven coding. His observation that only a small fraction of developers still write code by hand underscores the rapid evolution in coding practices prompted by these AI innovations.