From C++ Complexity to Code Agents
You’re reading part 1 of a three-part essay. I believe it has never been more exciting to be a software developer than it is right now — and this series explores why.
“The art of programming is the art of organizing complexity, of mastering multitude and avoiding its chaos as effectively as possible.”
Edsger Dijkstra
As we approach 2026, I have a admission to make: it has never been more exciting to be a software developer^1 than it has been these past couple of years. I started my career as a professional software developer in 1995, writing C and later C++ code. Execution was fast—but writing the code could take forever (especially if you ever implemented UI code in C++ and had to move data between the main thread and the UI thread and back again).
AI, and in particular code agents like Claude Code and OpenAI Codex, can do things I never thought possible. In the 1990s, I worked with Rapid Application Development (RAD), and in the early 2000s with Model-Driven Development (MDD). But compared with modern code agents, that era feels like light years ago.
ChatGPT is just a little over three years old. According to a recent research brief^2 from CAISA, the use of generative AI is growing faster than internet adoption in Denmark, and people generally have an optimistic view of AI. I largely agree, but I still feel that we, as a society, need a more open discussion about AI and its possible implications for the labor market — especially if predictions about changes in employment turn out to be true. That said, for the time being, I don’t fear being replaced by AI. Instead, it’s changing the way I work.
But that change comes with a condition: AI is only truly useful when you already understand what you’re doing — and that shapes how I think about quality, responsibility, and my role.
Disclaimer: I wrote the text and Gemini Nano Banana generated the background image. I love that Nano Banana forgot one + in C++.
1: I identify myself as software developer, but I also work in roles as an architect and lead developer.
2: https://caisa.dk/forskning/generativ-ki-i-danmark-2025
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