A hot potato: Several big tech companies now tell employees that using AI for work tasks isn't just advisable; it's mandatory. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has revealed that when some engineers didn't immediately try the technology when it was introduced at the crypto firm, they were promptly fired.
Speaking on Stripe president John Collison's Cheeky Pint podcast, Armstrong talked about how Coinbase bought GitHub Copilot and Cursor enterprise licenses for every engineer at the company.
The CEO was warned by employees that adoption of the AI would be slow, and that it could take months to get even half the engineers using it.
Shocked by this news, Armstrong posted a mandate in the company's Slack channel demanding that everyone must learn to use the technology. While they didn't have to use AI every day until after receiving more training, all engineers at the very least had to onboard it by the end of the week.
Armstrong said a meeting had been scheduled for Saturday, giving those who refused to follow the mandate a chance to explain why.
During the meeting, some people had genuine reasons for ignoring Armstrong's message, such as just getting back from a vacation or work trip. Those who had simply refused to use AI in their work were fired.
The Coinbase boss admits that his tactics were "heavy handed," and there were people in the company who didn't like how he handled the situation. But it sent a clear message to others that using AI was not optional.
Armstrong said his goal is for half of the company's code to be written by AI before the quarter ends. That's more than both Microsoft and Google, both of which said this year that up to 30% of the code they produce is AI generated.
To meet this target, Coinbase hosts monthly "AI speed run" training sessions where teams that have developed creative ways to use AI share their techniques.
Armstrong's aggressive push isn't unusual. Duolingo employees are also expected to use AI by default, something that is taken into account during performance reviews. Microsoft mandates its use, as does Yahoo Japan, which aims to "double" productivity as a result. While many other firms strongly encourage AI use, expect more to change this to a requirement as time goes on.
Despite these CEOs' obsession, multiple studies suggest AI can hinder productivity rather than help. One found experienced developers took 19% longer using AI, while workers at Amazon say shrinking teams and higher demands create an assembly-line culture that stifles creativity. Call center staff likewise reported AI assistants often cause more issues than they resolve.
